Thanks to J.K. Fowler and Ayodele Nzinga, first Poet Laureate of Oakland, for editing this collection of poets from The Town. Be sure to check out Ms. Nzinga’s introduction (“change is dancing in the middle of all the rooms, and talking very loudly”).

I moved from a grey high-rise in Shanghai to a one-bedroom near Lake Merritt in 2009. I remember feeling so grateful for its blue skies and the scent of orange blossoms wafting up to my window. I love this town. I love its unruliness and its history. As a mixed race person, I feel good here. I respect the people who call Oakland their hometown; they’ve endured a lot of displacement. (For some local living history, give a listen to the podcasts “Hella Black” and “East Bay Yesterday.”) I had both my babies in this town; it is theirs now. So it is an honor to be listed with the poets in this anthology, a fitting last publication for Nomadic Press.

You can buy the anthology here.