Mobile Data Mag: A reading with L.A. Authors

Mobile Data Mag is a digital literary journal exclusively on Substack housing a collection of poetry and prose, particularly from authors who are born and raised in California. Authors whose submitted work is at 500 characters or less are posted onto Systemic Dreaming, an extension of Mobile Data Mag and online journal exclusively on Threads social media platform.

Hosted by founding editor and author Jesse Tovar, this IRL reading features five poets from all corners of Los Angeles County: Pam Concepcion, Daryl Gussin, Jennifer “Miss B’ Baptiste, Mauricio “Soul on Fire” Moreno, and Laura Sermeño.

Following the readings in The Wanda Coleman Theater join us for book signing and a reception with light refreshments.

Doors Open: 1:30 PM I Readings: 2:00 PM

Pam Concepcion is a multimedia artist: a poet, an aspiring screenwriter, a digital collage artist, and a video editor. She is born and raised in Metro Manila, Philippines, where she played softball, wrote poetry, and earned her Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering with a minor in New Media and Communication. In 2023, she moved to South Pasadena, California, to live with her family. Since then, she has been active in the poetry open mic scene around LA county. She has featured at several mics such as Serpentine and Planting Poets at the North Figueroa Bookshop, LA Poets Society events at the Melrose Trading Post, The Libros Lincoln Heights, SaLa Salo at Obet & Del's, and La Palabra at Avenue 50 Studio. She is also active in Sunday Jump, Anansi Writer's Workshop, and around social media.

Daryl Gussin spent years of his life as a confused bisexual only to realize he’s actually just a heterosexual poet. In 2024 he published three different collections mining the internal, external, and the messy entanglement of the two. Jessica Mills says his voice, “rises above the dismal din and resonates with urgency, capturing moments of rebellion and reflection.” Ingrid M. Calderón called his work, “A true love story of self…that leaves the reader with a sense of wonder and an itch for more.” His focus revolves around the honest, bittersweet, and ultimately triumphant aspects of counterculture and its flavorful inhabitants. The heartbreaks, the implosions, and the defiant victories. Community over commercialism, create and destroy.

Jennifer “Miss B” Baptiste is a writer living in North Hollywood, California. She was born and raised in Texas and is an American of Haitian descent. She loves creating lyrical introspective pieces that resonate with the heart and mind to promote healing, empowerment, and curiosity. She is the author of _Unlocking the Secret of Loneliness_, a poetry zine. You can explore more of her poetry writing through Altadena Poetry Review, Drifter Zine, Poem-A-Week with Sims Poetry Library, Los Angeles Poet Society Press, and Spectrum Publishing. Feel free to connect with her at @WheresMsB on all social media platforms to learn more about her day to day creative life.

Maurico "Soul on Fire" Moreno is a first generation Colombian-American artist and writer, originally from Elizabeth, New Jersey. He moved to California to fulfill his life mission of being a writer and sharing his and others’ stories to bring readers closer together and heal the world. He is the author of _Anatomy of a Flame_, a poetry collection that has received an honorable mention for the Juan Felipe Herrera award in the International Latino Book Awards. His works have been published in Conchas Y Café, Intercultural Press, Resurrection Press, No Tender Fences, Rigorous and he has been featured at several open mics throughout Los Angeles. He is currently working on his first novel. When he’s not writing, he can be found in Long Beach donning Hogwarts robes and steampunk goggles, tending to his growing collection of fur babies with his Revolutionary Ravenclaw wife.

Laura Sermeño was born in Montebello, CA, raised and educated in Sur El Monte —UCLA matriculated, educated by her people only, from the classrooms to the streets. While in her second year of studies at UCLA in 2012, she began to unfold her art of poetry by auditioning for spoken word performances. In 2015, she was accepted into the Voices of our Nation's (VONA) Southern California Regional Workshop, focusing on Poetry as Documentary. In 2017, along with her womxn-centered writing circle, Las Lunas Locas, her poetry was published in an anthology. She never traditionally captured the art of poetry-making, instead relying on her inner beat and only the most raw inspiration with which to write. She claims celestial goddess power, speaks truth and hopes to give mexicana princesas a good name. She now teaches and resides in Pasadena, CA.

Livestream: If you can’t join us in-person the event will be livestreamed on at the scheduled time of the event.

Tickets will be available at Beyond Baroque's bookstore on the day of the event, but we recommend registering in advance through Eventbrite. Masks are encouraged while inside our center. No one turned away for lack of funds.

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

Event attendees are expected to behave in a respectful and considerate manner while in our space. Beyond Baroque reserves the right to remove individuals from our events, virtual or otherwise, if they are not respecting the space, fellow attendees, or performers.

Host or Publisher Beyond Baroque Literary | Arts Center