Tony Robles, born and raised in San Francisco, is co-editor and a revolutionary worker scholar of Poor magazine, and recently published Cool Don’t Live Here No More: A Letter to San Francisco. In 2010 he was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by Mythium Literary Journal for his short story, “In My Country.” Robles is also a housing rights advocate and board member of the Manilatown Heritage Foundation, and has written two children’s books, Lakas and the Manilatown Fish and Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel.
Tommi Avicolli-Mecca, born and raised in the infamous South Philly, is a former member of Gay Liberation Front who has never stopped being an activist for queer and social justice causes. He is editor of Smash the Church, Smash the State: The Early Years of Gay Liberation (City Lights Books), and co-editor of Avanti Popolo: Italians Sail Past Colum
bus (Manic D Press). Avicolli-Mecca’s writings have appeared in various anthologies over the years, most recently, That’s Revolting (Soft Skull). He is a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, SF Examiner, and SF Bay Guardian, among other newspapers. In addition, he has published scores of poems since the late 60s, including a recent work about the San Francisco housing crisis (in Philadelphia Poets, edited by Rosemary Cappello). He was featured in St. Martin Press’ Gay and Lesbian Poets in our Time.