Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter in place, the Philippine American Artists and Writers (PAWA) established its Open Mic reading to keep writers connected. Last Saturday, April 25th, I was invited to read along with poet Tony Robles, also known as “The People’s Poet,” who wrote Cool Don’t Live Here No More – a Letter to San Francisco and Fingerprints of a Hunger Strike. Tony was recently awarded the 2020 Carl Sandburg Writer-In-Residence and moved from his birthplace San Francisco to Henderson, N.C., in 2019. It was an honor to read along with Tony.

Tony read from his novel-in-progress, Fillmore Flip, based on his family’s life growing up in the ethnically diverse Fillmore District in San Francisco. I also read from my novel-in-progress, Slipping to the Other Side (working title), which I have been working on for the last three years. I read the prologue. You can listen and watch the Open Mic hour here by clicking on this link. Enjoy!