Join us as we celebrate the release of Everything Must Go by Kevin Coval (Haymarket Books) at Nomadic Press. With readings by Cyrus Armajani, Cassandra Dallett, Rohan DaCosta, music by Azuah and of course, the man of the night, Kevin Coval.

Gnosh and refreshments will be provided. Books will be for sale. Donations are kindly requested ($10-15 suggested), but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

There is a parking lot off of Fairmount Avenue behind the building with plenty of parking. Otherwise, it is a straight walk up Broadway from 19th Street BART to the Oakland Peace Center where the Nomadic Press performance spaces/offices are.

Performer bios:

Kevin Coval is an award-winning poet & author of Everything Must Go: The Life & Death of an American Neighborhood, A People's History of Chicago & over ten other full-length collections, anthologies & chapbooks. He is the founding editor of The BreakBeat Poets imprint on Haymarket Books, & Artistic Director of the MacArthur Award-winning cultural organization, Young Chicago Authors, & founder of Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Youth Poetry Festival, the world's largest youth poetry festival, now in more than 19 cities across North America. He's got a lot of hustles. He's shared the stage with The Migos & Nelson Mandela, has published in Poetry Magazine, The Chicago Tribune & CNN.com & co-hosts the podcast, The Cornerstore, on WGN Radio, cuz he is in loves to listen to people tell stories. He can be found on the internets @kevincoval.

Cyrus Armajani teaches reading and creative writing to youth who are incarcerated. He is a Jefferson Award recipient for his literacy work in the juvenile justice system and a Pushcart nominee. His poems have appeared in Matter: A Journal of Political Poetry and Commentary, Poetry Magazine, RHINO 2018 and Sparkle and Blink, among other publications. Benefits of Doubt (Nomadic Press, 2016) is his first book. Cyrus is Iranian-American and lives in Oakland, California with his wife and two sons.

Cassandra Dallett has been published in over a hundred online and print magazines, was named a writer to watch in 7x7 magazine 2016, look for links at cassandradallett.me. Cassandra hosts the monthly writing workshop OnTwoSix, and co-hosts the quarterly reading series Moon Drop Productions. Her first full-length book of poetry Wet Reckless (Manic D Press) was released in 2014. In 2015, she authored five chapbooks one of
them, On Sunday, A Finch (Nomadic Press) was nominated for a California Book Award, 2018 brought the release of another full-length collection, Collapse, also on Nomadic Press.

Rohan DaCosta is a multi-disciplinary artist from Chicago, based in Oakland, working primarily through photography, writing, and song. His book of photography, poetry, and song, The Edge of Fruitvale, was published by Nomadic Press in April 2018, and has been nominated for a California Book Award, a Pushcart Prize, and a CLMP Firecracker Award. His photography has been featured at The Flight Deck Gallery as a solo exhibition titled Ordinary People (2018). His work has also been featured at Root Division Gallery as part of a group exhibition titled Let Me Be a Witness (2018). In 2018, he was awarded the Individual Artist Funding Grant by the City of Oakland for his arts exhibition, Trap : Trauma : Transformation (April 9 – May 18). Rohan currently fulfills his drive toward civic duty serving as a board member on the Alameda County Arts Commission, and has recently become the newest member of Mercury 20 Gallery.

Azuah’s music weaves roots in alternative folk and soul with a poet's sensibility and an unforgettable voice to create an infectious sound all her own. A Bay Area native, she has played all over the West Coast from the Roxy in Los Angeles to stages in Oakland and San Francisco. Known for her evocative lyrics and haunting melodies, Azuah captures the listener’s ear from first note to last strum with a sound that can only come from the depths of an old soul.