Nellie Wong + Vincent Kobelt

Rivertown Poets is a first-Mondays poetry series that has been hosted by the Aqus Cafe in Petaluma, CA since 2013.

Vincent Kobelt has written poetry for the page, stage, and the mic.  His early work explored the murals of the Mission where he grew up, the music of jazz, a cry for justice, the birth of his daughters, milkweed between the cracks in concrete, the music of speaking, a thousand faces in a line at the DMV, and the bird shit next to their shoes.  He has taught creative writing at California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA or Inner Spark) and has written several chapbooks: Peppers from my Tongue volumes 1 and 2, Textures of Pregnancy, The Way Light Ripples on Water, and Pinch of Salt.  Recently, he has collaborated with poet Charles Curtis Blackwell and musician Brian Kendricks on their poetry album, Catch the First Thing Smokin’.  

Nellie Wong’s authored four poetry books, Dreams in Harrison Railroad Park, The Death of Long Steam Lady, Stolen Moments, and Breakfast Lunch Dinner. Her poems and essays have appeared in many anthologies and journals with some translated into Chinese, Spanish, Italian, and French.  Co-featured in the documentary film “Mitsuye and Nellie: Asian American Poets,” she has two poems installed at public sites in San Francisco.  Her honors include a building named after her at Oakland High School and The Reginald Lockett Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN Oakland in 2022.  Performing with The Last Hoisan Poets and Del Sol String Quartet, she’s cooking up a new collection of poetry to see light in the Year of the Dragon.

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