Sharing works that delight, provoke, inspire and rouse, the twice monthly Poetic Tuesdays series runs from May through August, turning lunchtime into an oasis of creative expression. Lighting up the Gardens with a fabulously curated line-up of poets and musicians, Poetic Tuesdays offer a vivifying midday breather for neighborhood groups, students, office workers on break and even out-of-towners looking for respite from The City’s hustle and bustle.

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Featured Artists

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Jessica Ke’mani is an Oakland born poet. They are studying creative writing at Northeastern University at Mills College in Oakland. Ke’mani is the author of the new poetry chapbook, Power of Our Wombs, released by Nomadic Press Publishing in February of 2023. Ke’mani is an avid lover of jazz, hip hop, (dance and music) as well as stand up comedy and makeup, and is currently liberating their palette to increase their health. Ke’mani deeply believes that art is both therapy, activism, a spiritual gift and necessary resistance within a society that both feeds and bolsters narcissism as well the myth of exploitative productivity. In the future, Jessica Ke’mani looks forward to obtaining an MFA, working as a freelance writer, serving kids and vulnerable populations, and sharing their poetry for an audience.

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Antony Fangary is a writer and visual artist living in San Francisco. He was awarded the 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and is the author of HARAM (Etched Press 2019). His poetry has recently appeared in Gulf Coast, The Sycamore Review, West Branch, and elsewhere. His work has received support from the San Francisco Arts Commission, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the Center for Cultural Innovation.

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Briana Grogan (she/they) is a Black queer femme from Southern California. Her poetry found form in San Francisco, where they currently live and work as a training doula. She is a 2023 SFA grant recipient of the San Francisco Artist Commission. They received their MFA in Poetry from Mills College. Her writing explores the silence in grief and rejoice in healing. They were an artist in residence at Art House San Clemente, the Guest Poetry Editor for Foglifter Journal Vol. 8, and a finalist for the 2021 Button Poetry Chapbook Contest. Her work can be found in Foglifter Journal, The Ana, Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, and is upcoming in When We Exhale.

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Mason J. (he/they) is a multidisciplinary artist, historian, and community organizer of Blaxican-Indigenous and Sephardic Jewish heritage living on occupied Ohlone (SF) | Tongva (LA) Lands. He dedicates his work to amplifying marginalized voices and challenging societal norms as a writer, queer visual artist, disability justice & racial equity consultant, two-spirit griot, nightlifer, and interim Executive Director of Radar Productions. Through co-creation and innovative projects such as SFPL's Show Us Your Spines residency with Julian Delgado Lopera, teaching for the Queer Ancestors Project, and working as one of Still Here SF's artists, their labors of love and chaos span mediums and platforms. Notable exhibitions or historical accuracy work include Mission Cultural Center's "¡Afrolatinidad en la Bahia de San Francisco PRESENTE!", GLBT Historical Society's "50 Years of Pride", Roberto Fatal & Bianca Oblivion's "TECHNOTIHUACAN", BAMFA’s "We Both Laughed in Pleasure: Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan Launch", OMCA's "Queer California: Untold Stories". Their words have been featured in the SF Chronicle, Urban Libraries Council Blog, Calling the Moon [Candlewick Press], This Wandering State: Poems from Alta [California Independent Bookseller], Crossbones on My Life [Nomadic Press], Original Plumbing and Archer Magazines. MJ finds solace in collecting records, deepening his knowledge of medical herbalism, and debates about the best tacos in California.  

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Harmela is an educator, singer-songwriter and creative residing in Oakland, CA. A Bay-Area native, Harmela has captivated listeners in over 60 countries with her soulful melodies and unique tone. In January 2019, Harmela released her debut single, “Not Sorry” on all platforms. In both her professional and personal life, Harmela is led by her commitment to truth, love and vulnerability. During her 5pm-9am hours, Harmela uses her song-writing and voice to express her personal revolution: processing the emotions that come with life's changes, experiences of love and loss, and her faith.

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About the Curator

Nia McAllister is an award-winning poet, writer, and environmental justice advocate working at the intersection of art, activism, and public engagement. As Senior Public Programs Manager at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco, Nia creates participatory spaces for creative expression and literary dialogue. Nia’s writing and poetry have been featured on Poets of Color Podcast, Bay Poets | KALW Public Media, and published in Doek! Literary Magazine, Radicle Magazine, Meridians Journal and Painting the Streets: Oakland Uprising in the Time of Rebellion (Nomadic Press, 2022). She is a recipient of the 2023 San Francisco Foundation/Nomadic Press Literary Awards. Learn more about Nia’s work at niamcallister.com

Co-Presented by: Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

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This program is in-person at Jessie Square located directly across the street from the Yerba Buena Gardens and is part of Yerba Buena Gardens Festival's Poetic Tuesday series. For the full program schedule, visit www.ybgfestival.org.

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