A May Day poetry reading dedicated to essential/frontline workers, hosted by Aja Monet. Featuring: Martin Espada, Wendy Trevino, Mark Nowak, Denice Frohman, José Olivarez, Staceyann Chin, Sonia Guinansaca, Ayodele Nzinga, Alando McIntyre, Christine Lewis, Ada Limon, and Calvin Early. “Bread for all, and Roses too.!”
All of our lives have been turned upside down because of COVID-19 and yet the resilience of the human spirit persists. Poetry is a way through and can help us make sense of our deepest unlanguageable emotions and experiences. Rooted in oral tradition, Homemade is a dedication for the people and is inspired by Indigenous and African tradition. Our healing has always been holistic and therefore we must integrate our physical, spiritual, and mental parts in the process. Poetry is our healing and political inheritance.
Hosted by Aja Monet, this reading series takes place every 1st and 15th of the month in homage to workers who are losing their paychecks and to help us struggle through this pandemic. We offer literal herbal remedies as well as medicinal poems.
Edited by Felicia Chavez, José Olivarez, et al.
In 2026, we’re celebrating 25 years of publishing “Books for Changing the World.” In those 25 years, we’ve helped build critical space and infrastructure for radical ideas and movements on the left to grow. That work of institution-building and popular political education has never been more necessary or more urgent. We need your help to continue to do this work.
