| Youth | *
in order of appearance* |
Adult | * in order of appearance* | ||
 |
Yosimar Reyes |  |
Marc Bamuthi Joseph | ||
| An undocumented immigrant born in Mexico and raised by his grandparents in San Jose, CA, Yosimar begins writing about the challenges his family faces living in the US. As he meets a host of other writers and performers he learns to use poetry to clarify the more personal challenges of race and sexuality. | Marc Bamuthi Joseph, originally from NYC, is an arts activist currently living in Oakland, California. He is a National Poetry Slam champion, Broadway veteran, GOLDIE award winner, featured artist on the past two seasons of Russell Simmons' Def Poetry on HBO and a recipient of 2002 and 2004 National Performance Network Creation commissions. | ||||
 |
Emiliano Bourgois-Chacon |  |
James Kass | ||
| San Francisco's Youth Poet Laureate, Emiliano uses his writing and performance to reveal his personal challenges of living with a physical disability often to difficult to discuss in his daily life. | Originally from New York, James Kass, is the Founder and Executive Director of Youth Speaks. Since 1996, Youth Speaks has set a national standard for creative writing, poetry, and spoken word programs for youth. | ||||
 |
Meilani Clay |  |
Saul Williams | ||
| Coming from Hayward, CA, Meilani uses her poetry to voice her political and personal beliefs regarding race, body image and family. | To thousands of youth across America, Saul Williams has defined and redefined poetry as an accessible, living art form. His groundbreaking work in the acclaimed film Slam has placed him as a figure head in the spoken word movement in the US. | ||||
 |
George Watsky |  |
Aya de Leon | ||
| Attending one of San Francisco's elite college prep high schools, George uses performance poetry to voice his concerns about equality and privilege. | Writer, performer, hip hop theater artist, poetic activist, and community healer Aya de Leon lives in the Oakland Bay Area. | ||||
 |
Shannon Matesky |  |
Abiodun Oyewole | ||
| San Francisco Youth Speaks Slam Champion | Abiodun was a founding member of the legendary American musical poetry group, The Last Poets, and shares his views on the importance of community to poets. | ||||
 |
Raquel Topete | ||||
| An english teacher at the Latino College Prep Academy in San Jose, Raquel is a poet, performer activist and Co-coach and mentor of the San Jose Youth Poetry Slam League. | |||||
 |
Ruben Zamora | ||||
| Co-coach and mentor of the San Jose Youth Poetry Slam League. | |||||