{"id":345766,"date":"2026-06-04T01:36:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T01:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/345766\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T01:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T01:36:10","slug":"flor-y-canto-literary-festival-returns-to-the-mission-and-chapter-510-empowers-young-oakland-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/345766\/","title":{"rendered":"Flor Y Canto Literary Festival Returns to the Mission and Chapter 510 Empowers Young Oakland Writers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to \u201cThe Sights + Sounds Show with Jene\u00e9 Darden,” where every week we tap into the Bay Area arts scene and bring you rich conversations with artists. On today\u2019s show, an upcoming literary festival honors writers in the San Francisco Mission. Then, a writing center celebrates 10 years of teaching Oakland youth the joys of writing, and publishing kids too.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s theme is about writing across generations.<\/p>\n

\"(L-R)<\/p>\n

(L-R) Photo Provided by Joshiah Luis Alderete; Peggy Peralta<\/p>\n

(L-R) Josiah Luis Alderete and Lourdes Figueroa<\/p>\n

Lourdes Figueroa and Josiah Luis Alderete
Book nerds will be getting lit next weekend from June 12 to 14 for the Flor Y Canto Literary Festival<\/a> in the San Francisco Mission. “Flor Y Canto” translates to “flower and song.” Check out readings and films, by and about, Latino\/Latinx\/Latin\u00e9 writers. This will be happening in different spaces in the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, which is around 24th and Mission.<\/p>\n

Lourdes Figueroa<\/a> is a queer Chicanx oral poet & poetry filmmaker. Joshiah Luis Alderete<\/a> is the host of KALW’s \u201cBay Poets<\/a>\u201d and co-owner of the bookstore Medicine for Nightmares<\/a>. They are two of the festival\u2019s organizers.<\/p>\n

\"(L-R)<\/p>\n

Robbie Sweeny; Photo Provided by Janet Heller<\/p>\n

(L-R) Janet Heller and Anjali Emsellem<\/p>\n

Janet Heller and Anjali Emsellem
Little Jene\u00e9 Darden who grew up in East Oakland in the \u201880s and \u201890s would\u2019ve loved a place like Chapter 510<\/a>. The youth writing center provides a safe and empowering learning space for young writers. Chapter 510 centers Black, brown and queer voices. Their latest book is \u201cWhen the Stars Bloom in Oakland: An Anthology of Poems by Fourth Graders<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Janet Heller<\/a> is an Oakland poet and co-founder of Chapter 510. Anjali Emsellem<\/a> is a writer and educator who teaches in the Chapter 510 program. We’ll post more readings by fourth-grade poets featured in the anthology soon. <\/p>\n