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Crosscurrents

The International Hotel's poet of struggle

Poet Al Robles
Courtesy of San Francisco State's Poetry Archives
Poet Al Robles

This conversation aired in the April 15, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents.

Click the button above to listen!

April is National Poetry Month and to celebrate in proper style Bay Poets has been exploring the Poetry Center at San Francisco State’s amazing archives.

Josiah Luis Alderete is the host of KALW’s series, Bay Poets. And he has dug up audio of four San Francisco poets that have had a deep and lasting impact on shaping this city’s literary landscape.

We will be presenting them to you throughout the month.

Today, we hear Al Robles reading an excerpt from his poem “Cold Mountain in Chinatown” which he performed at the Poetry Center at San Francisco State on November 10th, 1976.

You can watch Al's reading as part of the Poetry Center Digital Archive here!

Crosscurrents
Sunni M. Khalid is a veteran of more than 40 years in journalism, having worked in print, radio, television, and web journalism.