The free, all-ages Hayward Lit Hop Literary Festival returns to downtown Hayward on Saturday, April 26th! First, Hayward poet laureate Leticia Guzman is hosting a public writing workshop at 1 pm at the downtown library, “Writing Your World” on how to imagine a better world.
We’ll kick off the Hop at 2 pm at Heritage Plaza, a park across the street from the Downtown Hayward Public Library, with a welcome from Hayward local civic and literary leaders and a musical performance from the East Bay Symphonic Band. Next, Hayward’s poet laureate Leticia Guzman and former poet laureate Bruce Roberts will perform, followed by guest poet J.R. Rice and youth laureates Fern Biswas and Ellie Bleharski.
Then from 4-7 pm, we’ll hop from place to place to different venues up and down on and near B Street to hear performances from groups including the AfroSurreal Writers Workshop of Oakland, a Chabot College bilingual Spanish/English reading, the Queer Writers, the HARD Senior Scribes, the San Leandro Poets, the local Horror Writers’ and Mystery Writers’ Association chapters, the Women’s National Book Association, Women Who Submit Lit, the East Bay Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers, the California Writers’ Club, Moreau Catholic High School (The Dead Poets Society Club), and students from CSUEB.
At 7 pm, we will gather at the Sun Gallery for an afterparty featuring music, food, drinks, and an opportunity to meet the writers!