Tiny Room Poetry Series | Special Edition | Presented by Listen Different and Poetry Center San José
Join us for an intimate evening of poetry, music and community! This special edition offers a rare chance to connect with poets and musicians up close, meet fellow lovers of the art, and experience a vibrant local space in a fresh new way.
With performances by the legendary Saul Williams, San Francisco poetess Ramona Webb and local hero Derrick Sanderlin.
Reserve your seat here!
Choose a donation priced ticket or a free ticket—no one turned away for lack of funds. Any support you can offer helps us pay our guest performers. There are a limited number of free online tickets, but more are available at the door. We ask that those who claim a free ticket to wait for available seating at show time.
Saul Williams will also participate in a Q&A after the show.
Tiny Room Poetry Series is supported by the City of San José’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and The Poetry Foundation.
Our performers:
Saul Williams
Saul Williams came to worldwide attention as a writer and performer with his debut film, SLAM (dir. Marc Levin) winning Sundance's Grand Jury Prize and Cannes Camera D'Or in 1998, introducing the world to the phenomenon of slam poetry competitions and Saul as a global ambassador of modern poetry. Saul holds a BA in Theater and Philosophy from Morehouse College and MFA in Acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
As a musician, Saul's albums have featured genre-bending collaborations with producers, such as Rick Rubin and Trent Reznor, that helped usher in Brooklyn's Afro-Punk movement. Saul has also collaborated with “Contemporary Music” composers, writing the libretto for Ted Hearne's LA Philharmonic produced oratorio “PLACE” and two symphonies by the late Swiss composer, Thomas Kessler, based on two books of Saul's poetry, “,said the shotgun to the head.” and “The Dead Emcee Scrolls. Overall, Saul has released six studio albums and five books of poetry, translated into multiple languages. His latest album “Saul Williams meets Carlos Niño and Friends Live at Treepeople” was nominated for a Grammy for best Spoken Word Poetry Album and is out now on International Anthem Records.
In 2022, Saul wrote, composed the soundtrack/score, and co-directed the science-fiction musical Neptune Frost, alongside his co-director and creative partner, Anisia Uzeyman. Neptune Frost made its world debut as part of Cannes Film Festival's “Director's Fortnight” and was selected by NYT's film critic A.O. Scott as the #2 film of the year.
As an actor Saul has worked in theater, film and television. He was a series regular on the sitcom “Girlfriends.” He is the first African-American to win Best Actor in Africa's largest film festival FESPACO for his work in the Senegalese film TEY (“Aujourd'hui”) directed by Alain Gomis and his 2020 performance in “Akilla’s Escape” earned him a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Actor.
He was the lead in Broadway's first Hip Hop musical, “Holler If You Hear Me”, based on the lyrics of Tupac Shakur and directed by Kenny Leon. Saul also starred in the two final campaigns of Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton, appearing in “Peculiar Contrast, Perfect Light” (F/W 2021) and “Amen Break” (S/S 2022). Most recently, Saul appears as the preacher “Jedidiah Moore” in Ryan Coogler's “Sinners”.
As a performer, Saul has toured in over forty countries, lectured in hundreds of universities, and served as a guest professor of poetry and performance at Stanford University.
Derrick Sanderlin
Derrick Sanderlin is a musician, writer and organizer who lives, works and loves in the city of San Jose. They grew up in a diversity of sound, singing in convalescent homes, churches, and performing with local punk rock and metal bands. Derrick’s first EP Ghetto blends jazz, punk, folk, and R&B to communicate the complexity of family, love life, and identity as a young black kid in a dominant and oppressive culture. Derrick went on to open up sounds and conversations around toxic masculinity, mental health, the power of story, and the art of resilience through their project Sine Wave, a band borne out of an artist residency. While Derrick is not a native, he has experienced a deep love for San Jose, collaborating with local artists such as former poet laureate Mighty Mike McGee, singer/songwriter Noñameko, and rapper Latoya Fernandez.
Ramona (Mona) Laughing Brook Webb
Ramona (Mona) Laughing Brook Webb is an Afro-Creek Muscogee queer poet and performing artist whose intersectional work bridges art, healthcare, and equity. Mina’s the inaugural Poet-in-Residence at the University of California, San Francisco’s the National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, The Black Womxn’s Health and Livelihood Initiative, and The Black Wellness Center.
In her role as Director of Wellness and Art Gallery Curator at the UCSF Black Wellness Center, Mona uses art integration into healthcare practices to tackle racial health disparities and promote cultural transformation. She also proudly serves as Poet Theologian and Coordinator of Arts & Liturgies Ministries at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. A conservatory-trained theater artist, Ramona specializes in docu-ritual-drama , a unique fusion of documentary storytelling, poetry, and ritual performance.
Your host:
Tshaka Campbell is the first black, Santa Clara County Poet Laureate and has authored four books of poetry entitled “TARMAN”, “MUTED WHISPERS”, “STUFF, I will write more”, “TUNNEL VISION'' and is latest book published by El Martilo press entitled “BLOOD AT THE ROOT. ” His words have been featured in Bridges Review, BBC UK, Content magazine, Speakeasy vol 1, Liminal Animals, Rigorous magazine, among others. A city of Milpitas and city of Sunnyvale commendation in the arts award recipient, Tshaka has also collaborated on projects with the World Health Organization (WHO), the De young museum in San Francisco, the NUMU and Triton museums, as well sits on the Board of Directors for Silicon Valley Creates arts council and Poetry Center San Jose. He has partnered with the Silicon Valley Transit Authority and community members to deliver youth programs centered around expanding poetry and literature. He has 4 spoken word albums entitled "ONE", “BLOODLINES”, "SKIN vol.1"; and his most recent release "NKISI" is currently available on all streaming platforms.