Poets Laureate at Obsidian Tongues

Brian Sonia-Wallace, Natalie Sierra and Alejandra Roggero feature at Obsidian Tongues at Galeria Yasmin in Pomona!

Hear the featured poets, but also share your own work on the mic!

THE PUEBLO. THE POETS. THE COMMUNITY.

Galeria Yasmin

250 W 2nd St.

Pomona, CA 91766, USA

Free

13+

About the features:

Obsidian Tongues Open Mic welcomes the Poet Laureates of Los Angeles, Pomona, and Whittier!

 BRIAN SONIA-WALLACE | Los Angeles

Poet, educator, and public artist whose work explores the intimate and monumental, reimagining public space as a site of memory, care, and dialogue. Brian has written poems on-the-spot for over 10,000 strangers and their communities. Author of The Poetry of Strangers (HarperCollins) and Maze Mouth (Moon Tide Press). A City of LA Master Artist, former West Hollywood Poet Laureate, and Fellow of the Academy of American Poets and LA County. His writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Guardian, LitHub, Rattle, and American Poets. He teaches at UCLA Extension and leads school outreach for Get Lit – Words Ignite.

 NATALIE SIERRA | Pomona

Author, editor, and President of Cafe Con Libros Press, a Southern California literary nonprofit. Her work has appeared in dozens of publications, including the Los Angeles Times. Support her through her Substack, Pandora’s Demise, or her newest novel, Beyond the Grace of God.

 ALEJANDRA ROGGERO | Whittier

Whittier’s inaugural Poet Laureate, appointed April 2026. A Whittier College graduate and author of four poetry and prose collections, including The Town and La Matriarca; her fifth, soft serve, arrives in 2027. Founder of Poetry for the Masses, she facilitates workshops for writers of all ages with businesses, schools, and community organizations across Los Angeles. She brings poetry into classrooms, civic spaces, and community conversations.

Obsidian Tongues

Hosted by the second poet laureate of Pomona, Ceasar K Avelar, Obsidian Tongues is a monthly, community-focused open mic for poetry, spoken word, and storytelling, held on the 2nd Saturday of every month at Café Con Libros and the the last Saturday of every month at Lopez Urban Farm. The event provides a welcoming space for diverse voices and celebrates the working class.