The mind, a dormant stone

Saturday, September 24, at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in VENICE, CA (the West Side of LA) Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd. Venice CA. 10am: Black Mask Parade against Police Brutality GATHER at Venice Blvd. and Lincoln Blvd. We will march over to Beyond Baroque/ Abbott Kinney. Join your community as we march up Venice Blvd. donning the masks of those who are victims of Police Brutality and unjust killing. Stop the murdering police NOW! JUSTICE FOR ANDY LOPEZ! JUSTICE FOR TAMIR RICE! JUSTICE FOR FREDDIE GRAY! JUSTICE FOR KELLY THOMAS! JUSTICE FOR SANDRA BLAND! JUSTICE FOR ALL! BLACK LIVES MATTER! ALL LIVES MATTER! Showtime: 11am-8pm Join us in a world gathering – a celebration of change! The Los Angeles Poet Society is honored to host amazing Angels of Change in our communities! Celebrating 6 years of 100TPC together! Additional events will be held after 3pm at Beyond Baroque. ISSUES WE WILL ADDRESS at this gathering: Homelessness Mass ...

Hello my friends, I am going to be reading this coming Weds, Sept. 21 at the Last Bookstore in the historic bank district of downtown LA! Yahooo! I will be there with my brothers and sisters of the Coiled Serpent Anthology from Tia Chucha Press! It's a free show, and it will be filmed! I am super stoked! The LAPS has a new videographer and is growing the team of officers/ head honchos/honchas :) More info:  http://lastbookstorela.com/events/2743/ The Coiled Serpent is an amazing collection of the diverse authors of LA, pulling from our stories of tragedy, triumph, and hysterics. A very special book, dedicated to our dearly departed poet heroes: Wanda Coleman John Trudell Francisco X. Alarcon Plus a great intro from LA's Poet LAureate, Luis J. Rodriguez! Way to rock it Tia Chucha Press -- what a beautiful LA legacy! WRITE ON!

Beyond Baroque, the home of the SoapBox Poets Open Mic, will have a 9/11 memorial reading, Sunday, September 11, 2016. Bring your candle and your art. Peace and love to everyone... let us heal each other and share story. Where were you on 9/11/2001... when did you find out? What did you do? 7 minute mic to all genres. Hosted by me (Jessica M. Wilson Cardenas) Los Angeles Poet Society Address to Beyond Baroque: 681 Venice Blvd. Venice, CA 2-4pm www.lapoetsociety.org www.beyondbaroque.org www.jessicamwilson.com

I heard it for myself, but I didn’t understand it. It was mumbled, passed under the air, the translation was kind, so I don’t really believe it; but why would you say that, mom? Why say that…? Were you pushed to a wall and forced to finally speak? My self-esteem cannot release me because I don’t even know if I am looking at myself anymore. I pray to god and I pray to god. I know the mother spirit is listening and is there with me through the struggle, I know my heart is good, but what did I hear? Was that you, finally coming exposed? Did you ever want me, or want us, my sister and I; that have been dragged over fields by our hair, screaming for peace, unconditional love, from the lap of you…? We want more , yes. We do. Your face has always been in my memory: A smile from the shadows; maybe always an illusion to the mother I wanted to see; one who gave love. Jessica M. Wilson 9/9/16 Friday, 11:18am