"How to Get Home in the Dark" Poetry Anthology Reading and Generative Workshop

Poetry and reflection at Local Economy in Oakland

If Sunday afternoon calls for something quiet but still full of feeling, this reading and workshop at Local Economy looks like a good place to land.

Emilie Lygren will celebrate the release of How to Get Home in the Dark: Poems on Mental Health and Healing, with readings from Alegria Barclay, Zeina Hashem Beck, Melissa Fowlks, and Antwan Linton Penn. The poems center mental health, healing, spirituality, belonging, and the ways people keep finding language for hard things.

Local Economy feels like the right kind of Oakland room for this. It is a community minded spot where a reading can stay personal, with enough space for listening, talking, and taking a breath between poems.

The afternoon also includes a short panel conversation and time for guests to write their own pieces in response to the anthology. Paper and pens will be there, though bringing a favorite journal is a good move if you have one.

It runs Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at Local Economy in Oakland. Go if you want poetry with some honesty in it, and if you like events where the audience gets to be part of the room instead of just sitting still.

Join Emilie Lygren in celebrating the release of her new anthology How to Get Home in the Dark: Poems on Mental Health and Healing. Emilie will read poems from the anthology along with Alegria Barclay, Zeina Hashem Beck, Melissa Fowlks, and Antwan Linton Penn. The event will include a brief panel discussion and time for the audience to write their own pieces in conversation with the anthology. We’ll have paper and pens on hand; bring your favorite journal or writing apparatus if you’d like.
Alegria Barclay is a multiracial queer woman, poet, and educator whose work is founded on the belief that creativity, compassion, and communication combined can bring about social change.
Zeina Hashem Beck’s fourth collection, This Was Supposed to Be About Beauty, is forthcoming from Penguin Books in March 2027.
Melissa Fowlks lives in Oakland and finds joy in time outside, meaningful connections, and creating a sense of belonging wherever she goes.
Antwan Linton Penn is a poet whose work integrates mental health, spirituality, and social commentary through a lens of self-sovereignty.
Emilie Lygren is a poet and educator whose work is grounded in curiosity and reverence.