A place for meetings, readings, showings, and other creative doings.
1601 Paru St., Alameda, CA 94501 • 510 523-6957
Featured Guest Readers
​Alameda Island Poets ~ Wednesday, September 3 ~ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm ~ On Zoom
Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month
Featured Reader: Rafael Jesus Gonzalez and Youth Poets Zara Quiter and Kai Hernandez
Rafael Jesus Gonzalez
Rafael Jesús González, professor emeritus of Creative Writing & Literature at Laney College, Oakland, CA where he founded the Mexican & Latin American Studies Dept., was four times
nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was honored by the National Council of Teachers of English for his writing 2003. Also a visual artist, he has exhibited at the Oakland Museum of California, the Mexican Museum of San Francisco, Galeria de la Raza, among others. He received a César Chávez Lifetime Achievement Award 2013 and one from the City of Berkeley, CA 2015. In 2017 he was named Berkeley's first Poet Laureate. Read more about Rafael here!
Zara Quiter
Fourteen-year-old Zara Quiter thinks that poetry can shed light on the complexities of our world, whether that be inside of our heads or on the outside. The whole world is an overwhelming place, and she finds that writing is an outlet for her, a way to comb through her feelings so that she understands herself and things happening around her better. She believes that writing can be a symbol of bravery, a way to find joy hidden deep within oneself, but it can also be terrifying to look at your heart and your soul and dig for whatever needs to be put into words. For her, once that process is complete, and she has a poem in front of her, she feels more free, more strong and empowered.
Kai Hernandez
Kai Hernandez is an aspiring songwriter with a growing interest in poetry. After graduating from San Francisco State University, he has worked as a teacher's aide. Currently, he is trying to work on his music and expose himself to the incredibly diverse artistic community the Bay Area has to offer