When We Exhale: Black Women Writers on Rest, Grief & Intimacy

Be in community with us as we celebrate the release of the book “When We Exhale: An Anthology of Black Women Rooted in Ancestral Medicine” from Black Freighter Press. “When We Exhale” is an uplifting collection of poetry, essays and other writings where Black women reflect on rest, grief, intimacy, cultural memory and healing.

The book’s lead editor Alie Jones, along with fellow poets Nia Pearl, Ayodele Nzinga, Adrienne Danyelle Oliver, Lyn Patterson, Kelechi Ubozoh and KALW “Sights + Sounds” Host Jeneé Darden are several of the featured writers from the collection who will be performing at this special literary event.

is a writer, artist, and Creole mermaid. She is the author of Saltwater Moonshine, a poetry collection that honors her matrilineal Creole heritage through poetry, music, and reflections of love. Alie is passionate about centering our breath work as sacred and hopes to build a legacy of awareness and expression. She is the Director and Co-founder of Black Freighter Press, a revolutionary press committed to the exploration of liberation. Alie is the host of the podcast called Chit Chat with Aliecat, exploring self-care practices & journeys of self-love. She received her MPA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies as well as a MFA from Mills College in Creative Writing. Alie graduated with a BA in Cinematic Arts & Technology from CSU Monterey Bay & a minor in Creative Writing & Social Action. 

is an award-winning poet, writer, and environmental justice advocate working at the intersection of art, activism, and public engagement. She is an established host and event curator passionate about creating participatory spaces for creative expression and literary dialogue. Nia’s writing has been published in Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism, The Town: An Anthology of Oakland Poets, Painting the Streets: Oakland Uprising in the Time of Rebellion, and terra:soul: echoes from the future ancestors. She is one of the recipients of the 2023 Nomadic Press/San Francisco Foundation Literary Awards.

is a writer, educator and wellbeing writing coach living in Oakland, CA by way of a move across the country from her native town, Little Rock, Arkansas. Her chapbook collective madness (Finishing Line Press) garnered nominations for the Pushcart Prize and the 2023 Maya Angelou book award. Adrienne has completed fellowships with VONA, the Hurston/Wright Foundation, the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice and Furious Flower Poetry Center. She was also a contributor to Furious Flower’s National Black Poetry Syllabus. When she is not writing or teaching, Adrienne facilitates wellbeing writing workshops. Beyond writing and coaching other writers, Adrienne's community work includes producing Black Gold Storytellers, an award-winning intergenerational storytelling circle. More information about her writing, workshops and coaching services can be found on her website: www.adriennedanyelle.com.

is a storyteller and visual artist who lives in Oakland, CA. She is a deeply invigorated poet, specifically inspired to write about Black diaspora and those who have been systematically marginalized in society as a means of empowering future generations with their stories. For Patterson, storytelling is a sacred ancestral endeavor which can be used as a tool for paying homage and building future communities. Patterson often uses visual mediums to encapsulate her words and elevate the ways in which texts exist in conversation with one another. Her work has been published in Popshot Magazine, the Berkeley Poetry Review and has been featured on KQED.

is a Nigerian-American writer, poet, mental health advocate, and researcher. A former investigative reporter and the first student published in The New York Times, she centers lived experience through advocacy, community engagement, and art, weaving in racial identity, liberation, and healing. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee and co-author of We’ve Been Too Patient with LD Green, a groundbreaking anthology amplifying marginalized voices who have endured psychiatric mistreatment. Her work appears in Multiplicity, Trauma, Tresses & Truth, When We Exhale, and Let Them Not Be Forgotten: The Carceral State, Forensic Psychology, and Black Resistance.

Cultural Architect is an arts and culture theoretician/practitioner working at the intersections of cultural production, community development, and community well being to foster transformation in marginalized communities. Nzinga holds a Masters in Fine Arts in Writing and Consciousness and Doctorate of Philosophy in Transformative Education and Change; she resides in Oakland CA. Described as a renaissance woman, Ayodele is a producing director, playwright, poet, dramaturg, actress, performance consultant, arts educator, community advocate, and a culture bearing anchor.

is an award-winning journalist, and author from Oakland, Calif. She is the host and executive producer of The Sights + Sounds Show with Jeneé Darden on KALW 91.7 FM as well as Sights + Sounds Picks. Jenee has also reported for NPR, The Los Angeles Times, Ebony, Refinery29, Shondaland and other outlets. Her book, ), is a collection of essays and poetry about her personal journey through Black womanhood. 

There is a $10 - $20 sliding scale suggested donation for this event. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.

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📍 220 Montgomery St., San Francisco, 2 blocks from BART/MUNI🚪 Reception doors open at 6:00🗣️ Program begins at 7:00🆓 The event is free with an RSVP — and you are welcome to donate what you want

Please note:

• The event space is just to the left of the main entrance to the Mills Building at 220 Montgomery Street
• We recommend taking BART/MUNI, exiting at Montgomery, and walking two blocks north
• Ride-shares can drop off and pick up directly in front of the venue
• If you drive, there are several garages within two blocks of the event location; free street parking is available across from the venue at 7:00 pm

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