Elwin Cotman, Vernon Keeve, Adrienne Oliver, and Alexandra Mattraw Reading

Local writers Elwin Cotman, Vernon Keeve, and Adrienne Oliver read from their work.

Elwin Cotman grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whee the post-industrial landscape was a great inspiration for him. He is a writer of urban fantasy. He is also the author of two collections of speculative short stories, The Jack Daniels Sessions EP and Hard Times Blues. His work has appeared in Grist, Weird Fiction Review, Black Gate, The Thought Erotic, The Southwestern Review, and Cabinet des Fees, among others. His third collection, Dance on Saturday, is being published by Small Beer Press in 2020.

Vernon Keeve III is a Virginia born writer. He currently lives and teaches in Oakland. His purpose is to teach the next generation the importance of relaying their personal narratives, sharing their experiences, and taking control of their destinies. He holds a MFA from CCA, and a MA in Teaching Literature from Bard College. His full-length collection of poetry, Southern Migrant Mixtape, was published by Nomadic Press in 2018 and is the recipient of the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award.

Adrienne Danyelle Oliver is a poet-educator currently living in Oakland, CA. Her previous work has appeared in Digital Paper, The Womanist, Storytelling, Self & Society (Wayne State University Press 2018) and The Musuem of African American Diaspora’s poet corner. A Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation (VONA) alumna, Adrienne enjoys writing about intergenerational healing and 1930s era history leading up to the civil rights era. When she is not writing, Adrienne is reading or watching documentaries. She also leads a monthly writing and healing circle for Black women.