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. “When We Exhale: An Anthology of Black Women Rooted in Ancestral Medicine” is filled with works by Black female writers about their experiences with rest, grief and intimacy. Some of the writers include familiar names like Maya Angelou. Others, may be new to you. Black Freighter Press, which is based in the Bay Area, published this powerful book.
Host Jeneé Darden wrote the forward for the anthology. When she looked at the poetry, essays, and recipes in the book for inspiration for her forward, she knew she had to host an event for “When We Exhale." KALW's event space in downtown San Francisco was packed and the live audience was very moved. Some of the attendees came to the readers in tears after the show. The lineup featured: the book’s lead editor and Black Freighter Press co-founder Alie Jones, Oakland’s first poet laureate Ayodele Nzinga, writers Nia Pearl, Adrienne Danyelle Oliver, Lyn Patterson, Kelechi Ubozoh and Host Jeneé Darden.
This event was recorded at KALW’s downtown San Francisco venue in May 2026.
