SF's Newest Poet Laureate Delivers Inaugural Address

In honor of National Poetry Month, San Francisco’s newest Poet Laureate, Tongo Eisen-Martin, has planned his inaugural address as an evening of poetry and exposition on the revolutionary potentials of art. Titled "Unity and Struggle: A Collective Inaugural Address," Eisen-Martin is joined by a stellar lineup of poets and friends, exploring the incarnation of craft as it exists in movements, renaissances and the people who pass us through.

Eisen-Martin was appointed as San Francisco’s 8th Poet Laureate in January by Mayor London N. Breed. He is an educator and organizer whose work has centered on issues of mass incarceration, as well as poet and founder of Black Freighter Press. His book Heaven Is All Goodbyes (City Lights, Pocket Poet series) received a 2018 American Book Award, the 2018 California Book Award for Poetry and was short-listed for the Griffin Poetry Prize.

His inaugural address is presented in partnership with Friends of San Francisco Public Library, City Lights and Litquake.

Featured guests:
Marc Bamuthi Joseph, a spoken-word poet, dancer, playwright and educator, who is also the vice president and artistic director of social impact for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Biko Eisen-Martin, the brother of Tongo Eisen-Martin, is a theater and film actor and visual artist. He is best known for his work in the films Buck, Dietland and Finding Frida, a film he wrote and directed.
Mahogany L. Browne is a writer, organizer, educator and author of the books Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice, Woke Baby, Black Girl Magic and the YA novel Chlorine Sky.
Jive Poetic is a writer, organizer and educator. He is the founder of Insurgent Poets Society, Carnival Slam: Cultural Exchange and the co-founder of the Brooklyn Poetry Slam.
Joyce Lee is a writer, educator, performer, poet and an Oakland native whose gift with words and expression have made her an international talent. She has been featured at the Nuyorican Poetry Café.