Beautiful Black Books presents Tiny Room Poetry Series featuring Saul Williams, Derrick Sanderlin and Mona Webb
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.
Beautiful Black Books presents Tiny Room Poetry Series featuring Patricia Smith and Noah and the Arkiteks
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 legendary author and poetry slam champion Patricia Smith and local soul legends Noah and the Arkiteks.
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.
As a special gift, there will be a raffle of Patricia Smith's new book, The Intentions of Thunder, held during the show. We would like to thank Leigh's Favorite Books in Sunnyvale for providing us with copies of Ms. Smith's book.
Patricia Smith will also participate in a Q&A after her reading.
Tiny Room Poetry Series is supported by SVCreates, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Our performers:
Patricia Smith
Patricia Smith is the author of ten books of poetry, including The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems (Scriber, 2025), finalist for the 2025 National Book Award for Poetry; Unshuttered (Northwestern 2023); Incendiary Art (Northwestern 2017), winner of the Kingsley Tufts Award, the LA Times Book Prize, and the NAACP Image Award and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah (Coffee House Press, 2012), winner of the Lenore Marshall Prize from the Academy of American Poets; and Blood Dazzler (Coffee House Press, 2008), a National Book Award finalist. Her work has been published widely, including in Best American Poetry and Best American Essays. Her short story “When They Are Done With Us” won the Robert Fish Award from the Mystery Writers of America and was featured in Best American Mystery Stories.
Smith is a 2024 inductee into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, as well as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a chancellor in the Academy of American Poets, a Guggenheim fellow, an National Endowment for the Arts grant recipient, a finalist for the Neustadt Prize, a former fellow at Civitella Ranieri, Yaddo, and MacDowell, and a four-time individual champion of the National Poetry Slam, the most successful poet in the competition’s history.
She is a professor in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University, as well as a former distinguished professor for the City University of New York. Currently, she is at work on her first novel and a collection of short stories.
NOAH and the Arkiteks
Bay Area soul singer/songwriter and guitarist Noah exudes so much soul and blues that he and his tight group of seasoned musicians - known as NOAH AND THE ARKITEKS - will take you down memory lane of great soul vocalists Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, and then switch it up and funk things up with nods to Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley. Formed in 2015 the Alternative Soul band throws in hints of a classic sound that pulls from American Roots music. Their first single “Soul Fire” is a bare bones dive into heartbreak and a wanting for Love. Noah and the Arkiteks sprinkle in their own Bay-area influenced West coast jazz and funk to keep you moving to a truly signature Bay Area groove.
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.
Beautiful Black Books presents Tiny Room Poetry Series feat. Arlene Biala, Tureeda Mikell, Donny Jackson and Destiny Muhammad, plus ‘Blood At The Root’ Book Launch!
Tiny Room Poetry Series | Special Edition
Join us for an intimate evening of poetry and music featuring some of the Bay Area’s and LA’s premier artists. 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.
Reserve your seat here!
With performances by Arlene Biala, Tureeda Mikell, Destiny Muhammad, and Dr. Donny Jackson, the night also celebrates the release of Tshaka Campbell’s newest collection, BLOOD AT THE ROOT”: An nkisi (El Martillo Press). The book is a lyrical meditation on fatherhood, ancestry, and identity—blending memory and history to confront trauma and resilience while affirming love as the force that carries us forward.
🎥 Watch the deep dive podcast: Blood at the Root Discussion
Tiny Room Poetry Series is supported by SVCreates, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tiny Room Poetry Series features an inspiring lineup:
Arlene Biala
POET, AUTHOR, PERFORMANCE ARTIST, COMMUNITY ORGANIZER
Arlene Biala is a Filipina American writer from the San Francisco Bay Area who has been participating in poetry performances and workshops for over 30 years. She is a 2023-2026 Lucas Artist Residency Fellow in Literary Arts at the Montalvo Arts Center and was Poet Laureate of Santa Clara County for 2016 and 2017. She is the author of continental drift, one inch punch, and her beckoning hands, which won the 2015 American Book Award. Her latest book, a thousand voices whispering, is forthcoming from Sampaguita Press in November 2025.
Tureeda ‘Ture Ade’ Mikell
Tureeda 'Ture Ade' Mikell is a UCB Bay Area Writing Project Fellow 1996, an award winning poet, Black Panther Party Alum, she has either performed, or her work has traveled to South Africa, to Egypt, UK, China, Turkey, Mexico, and Switzerland.
Mikell served or has read as Poet in Residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora, Oakland Museum, Randall Museum, San Jose Museum of Art Invitational, DeYoung Museum, and Goldengate Academy of Sciences. Anthologized in Poetry is Bread, (2025 Nirala Publications, India, Tina Cane, Editor) Mikell is author of Synchronicity: The Oracle of Sun Medicine (2020, Nomadic Press) nominated for the California Book Award, and The Body: Oracle of Memory (2024, Black Lawrence Press, NY.)
Mikell received Berkeley Poetry Festival's 2024 LifeTime Achievement Award, as a story medicine woman, nature’s child, an activist for holism hell bent on asserting life. Mikell can be found on, LinkIn, Instagram, or tureedamikell.com
Destiny Muhammad
Destiny Muhammad is a Recording/Performing Artist | Band Leader |Composer & Producer. Her genre is cool and eclectic with a feel of Jazz & Storytelling to round out thesonic experience. Destiny collaborations, curations and commissioning include: Grace Cathedral Christmas Concert Series Stanford Jazz Festival featured Artist, Santa Cruz Symphony Recital Series, a San Jose Jazz Fest JazzAid Commissioned Artist, Guest/ Collaborator with Composer Marcus Shelby for Zaccho Dance ‘The Peoples Palace’ and featured on KQED Podcast & Sunday Music Drop
Destiny is an Elected Governor of the The Recording Academy, San Francisco Chapter, SFJAZZ, Teaching Artist, ASCAP, Songwriter Awardee, Chamber Music America/ Doris Duke
Foundation Performance Plus Awardee and California Arts Council Legacy Fellow
Dr Donny Jackson
Dr. Donny Jackson
A staple of the poetry community, Donny Jackson also holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, and is a director and multiple Emmy-winning documentary television producer. As a spoken word artist, Donny has performed and featured throughout North America, including at the legendary Nuyorican Poets Café, and venues in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, California, and Toronto. Donny has released four poetry albums: boy, girl, he / him, and fatherly. His debut volume of poetry, boy, was published by Silver Star Laboratory in February 2020, and his most recent book, toward the sun: love haiku, was released in February 2024.
Blood at the Root cover
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.
Beautiful Black Books presents Tiny Room Poetry Series feat. Rudy Francisco, Carlos Andrés Gomez, Derrick Sanderlin, Destiny Muhammad & Tshaka Campbell!
Beautiful Black Books invites you to the Tiny Room Poetry Series, a special event celebrating the power of poetry and music hosted by Tshaka Campbell. Join us for an intimate evening featuring some of the most celebrated East and West Coast artists.
Sunday, June 29th, doors at 6:00pm, show 6:30pm - 9:00pm
SJZ Breakroom
310 South 1st Street San Jose, CA 95113
Reserve your spot now for an evening that will uplift, inspire, and stay with you long after the last word is spoken. Tickets on sale now.
An inspiring lineup featuring:
Rudy Francisco is one of the most recognizable names in Spoken Word Poetry. Rudy Francisco has shared stages with prominent artists such as Gladys Knight, Jordin Sparks, Musiq Soul Child, and Jill Scott. Ultimately, Rudy's goal is to continue to assist others in harnessing their creativity while cultivating his own. Rudy Francisco is the author of Excuse Me As I Kiss The Sky (2024), I'll Fly Away (2020) and Helium (2024). He is also an Individual World Poetry Slam Champion, a National Poetry Slam Champion and has appeared on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” starring Jimmy Fallon and “The Bachelorette”.
Carlos Andrés Gómez is a Colombian American poet, actor, and speaker from New York City. He is the author of the poetry collection Fractures (University of Wisconsin Press, 2020), selected by Pulitzer Prize winner and 19th U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey as the winner of the 2020 Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry, and the memoir Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood (Penguin Random House, 2012). Winner of the Foreword INDIES Gold Medal and the International Book Award, Gómez has been published in The Nation, New England Review, Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series, The Yale Review, Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World (W.W. Norton & Co., 2022), and elsewhere. A star of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, TV One’s Verses and Flow, and Spike Lee’s #1 box office movie Inside Man with Denzel Washington, Carlos partnered with John Legend on Senior Orientation, a program to counteract bullying and champion inclusive masculinity among high school students. He has delivered keynotes and recited his original work at more than 1,500 colleges, universities, independent schools, and companies in 47 U.S. states and 28 countries across six continents. Carlos is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. For more, please visit: www.CarlosLive.com
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.
Destiny Muhammad is a Recording/Performing Artist | Band Leader |Composer & Producer. Her genre is cool and eclectic with a feel of Jazz & Storytelling to round out thesonic experience. Destiny collaborations, curations and commissioning include: Grace Cathedral Christmas Concert Series Stanford Jazz Festival featured Artist, Santa Cruz Symphony Recital Series, a San Jose Jazz Fest JazzAid Commissioned Artist, Guest/ Collaborator with Composer Marcus Shelby for Zaccho Dance ‘The Peoples Palace’ and featured on KQED Podcast & Sunday Music Drop. Destiny is an Elected Governor of the The Recording Academy, San Francisco Chapter, SFJAZZ, Teaching Artist, ASCAP, Songwriter Awardee, Chamber Music America/ Doris Duke Foundation Performance Plus Awardee and California Arts Council Legacy Fellow.