Welcome to “The Sights + Sounds Show with Jeneé Darden," where every week we tap into the Bay Area arts scene and bring you rich conversations with artists. On today’s show, an upcoming literary festival honors writers in the San Francisco Mission. Then, a writing center celebrates 10 years of teaching Oakland youth the joys of writing, and publishing kids too.
Today’s theme is about writing across generations.
Lourdes Figueroa and Josiah Luis Alderete
Book nerds will be getting lit next weekend from June 12 to 14 for the Flor Y Canto Literary Festival in the San Francisco Mission. "Flor Y Canto" translates to "flower and song." Check out readings and films, by and about, Latino/Latinx/Latiné writers. This will be happening in different spaces in the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, which is around 24th and Mission.
Lourdes Figueroa is a queer Chicanx oral poet & poetry filmmaker. Joshiah Luis Alderete is the host of KALW's “Bay Poets” and co-owner of the bookstore Medicine for Nightmares. They are two of the festival’s organizers.
Janet Heller and Anjali Emsellem
Little Jeneé Darden who grew up in East Oakland in the ‘80s and ‘90s would’ve loved a place like Chapter 510. The youth writing center provides a safe and empowering learning space for young writers. Chapter 510 centers Black, brown and queer voices. Their latest book is “When the Stars Bloom in Oakland: An Anthology of Poems by Fourth Graders.”
Janet Heller is an Oakland poet and co-founder of Chapter 510. Anjali Emsellem is a writer and educator who teaches in the Chapter 510 program. We'll post more readings by fourth-grade poets featured in the anthology soon.
