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Chapter 510

@chapter510

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We connect youth to the power of their stories.

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Last month, our Westlake Middle School writers celebrated the book release of their group publication, Nice Life, More Becoming. 📚✨

This anthology of poetry and prose was the final project of our Westlake creative writing and bookmaking program during the 25-26 school year.

The anthology was published as a limited edition run of 100 books, each one handmade by our book arts teacher Anna (@brickfactorydesigns). The book was illustrated by local children's book author and illustrator Rob Trujillo (@robert_tres) with a foreword written by Pour-Khorshid, professor at the University of San Francisco.

The celebration took place at the Westlake Middle School library. Student authors signed copies of the book and answered questions about their stories. The event concluded with a few of our student authors on the mic reading their work in their home languages.

For many of our authors, this was their first experience with creative writing and book arts. They entered an unfamiliar space with remarkable bravery, and completed the program with a newfound joy in writing and a pride in the stories only they could tell.💛🌱 by @chapter510

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2 hours ago

This Friday @litquake Literary Festival comes to Chapter 510!

Take a breather between the busy school week and the weekend ahead and join us for an afternoon of creativity and reflection.

Poet, playwright, and educator Mahogany L. Browne (@mobrowne) will read from her National Book Award–longlisted collection of stories and poems.

Joining her will be a reading from Chapter 510 poet and Teaching Artist Belinda Bellinger, with opening performances by @youthspeaks Poets Madisen Wofford and Aisha Rae McCulloch.

Followed by a conversation around creativity, healing, and resilience moderated by Divine Radiance (@divineradianceoakland) guest Kristal Raheem. Alie Jones (@aliejjones) will not be at the event because she received an amazing opportunity to attend a rest retreat for Black women but she has been a key curator for the event.

📍 Location: 546 9th St, Oakland, CA 94607
📅 Date: October 9th, 2026
⏰ Time: 4:30–5:30pm. Doors open at 4pm.

Register now through the link in our bio and visit our website to learn more about our guests. by @chapter510

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2 days ago

We are thrilled to announce that our Executive Director Janet Heller is a recipient of the 2026 Alameda County Arts Leadership Award!

She joins eight arts leaders recognized for their achievements and contributions positively impacting the Alameda County arts community.

The celebration will be held during the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, October 6, from 3:00-4:30 pm.

Join us in celebrating a well-deserved recognition for Janet. Janet is currently on sabbatical through the end of the year and our board member and secretary Dorothy Lazard will accept the award on her behalf.

Thank you Janet for the tremendous impact you have had on the Bay Area arts community!

Learn more about the Alameda County Arts Commission’s Arts Leadership Award on their website. by @chapter510

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4 days ago

There’s still time to sign up for our teen programs in partnership with Divine Radiance and Youth Speaks! ✨

Are you a young writer, poet, or performer? Join us for Youth Speaks x Chapter 510 Afterschool Workshops. Storytellers ages 13–19 are invited to create new work, share their perspectives, and connect with other young artists in Oakland. $200 stipends are available to participants who attend all 3rd Wednesday workshops this fall. Stipends are limited.

Looking for creative mentorship? Register for Divine Radiance, a program designed for Black girls and gender-expansive youth in Oakland. Selected participants will receive a $500 stipend and a free copy of PRIDE by Ibi Zoboi.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more about each program and register! by @chapter510

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7 days ago

Nassor At-Thinnin Gant was 11 when he participated in our single author chapter book workshop.

Nassor had already been sketching and working on a character called “Sonar,” who he created after feeling his favorite media lacked representation for characters that looked like him and that he could relate to.

Not long after SONAR’s publication, Nassor visited the Philippines with his family where they partnered with an organization that provided resources to students — one of them being a copy of SONAR. The students enjoyed the book so much that Nassor led a class through drawing and writing a comic book.

Nassor is now a Sophomore at University of Riverside California majoring in African-American studies, while also pursuing Film and Screenwriting. Nassor has remained a writer, with a passion for uplifting perspectives that are often overlooked in society

As we continue to celebrate ten years of Chapter 510, it has been incredible to see our youth writers grow up to harness the power of their own stories to advocate for themselves, Oakland, and the world. ✨

🔗 Visit the link in our bio and read more about Nassor’s journey connecting to the power of his stories. by @chapter510

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8 days ago

We’re pleased to announce that Chapter 510 was selected as a recipient of the @nbcuniversal Local Impact Grant!

This grant recognizes non-profit organizations making a difference in their communities through innovative programs and local engagement.

We are so grateful for NBCUniversal’s support of programs that enable Oakland youth to harness the power of their own stories to advocate for themselves, Oakland, and the world.

Thank you NBCUniversal for your recognition and for championing the power of youth voices! by @chapter510

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10 days ago

We’re thrilled to announce Gretchen Carvajal as our #CMAltitide speaker 🦋

🎤 Guest host: Isa Nakazawa @isanaka
🎟️Registration is open now!
🗓️ Friday October 9
☕️ Doors at 8:30, talk starts at 9
📍 @chapter510

Gretchen Carvajal is a poet, educator, and multidisciplinary artist whose work traces the interconnectedness between the Philippine archipelago and the Bay Area communities that shaped her. Working across poetry, jewelry, printmaking, film, facilitation, and digital pedagogy, her practice investigates how memory, migration, adornment, and collective storytelling shape Filipino American identity across generations. Through her work, she explores how over 7,000 islands can live inside a single household, body, or poem asking what it means to inherit histories carried through water, diaspora, and silence. 
Rooted in both personal and communal memory, Carvajal’s work challenges flattening narratives of Asian American identity that prioritize representation without interrogating power, liberation, and solidarity. Influenced and sharpened by generations of Black and Asian writers, artists, and organizers she considers mentors and family, her work seeks honesty over performance honoring her people while asking difficult questions about history, accountability, and collective freedom.

Her work lives at the convergence of the personal and collective, asking how we carry each other across water, memory, and time. by @chapter510

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12 days ago

Come visit Chapter 510 in real life!

Our bookstore (and portal to the Dept, of Make / Believe) is in need of some inspectors to assess the magic that powers Chapter 510.

For a limited time through September get prescribed 3 poems for the price of 1. Discover the brave, radical, joyful writing of Oakland’s young authors that powers our beloved Poetry Prescription Service.

Complete our new Magic Inspection — cast a spell on the spelling tree, file a worry away, or journey behind the curtain. Magic does not make itself!

The Dept. of Make / Believe needs your help. Visit our storefront now open Thursdays-Saturdays from 12pm-4pm and be a part of the magic! by @chapter510

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14 days ago

We had the most magical weekend at the Children’s Fairyland (@fairylandca) Children’s Book Festival!✨📚

The event was a beautiful celebration of reading and writing—one that encourages young people to be joyfully creative and discover the power of their stories.

Nestled in front of Alice’s reading room, we prescribed poems and made books and bookmarks with young people of all ages in Oakland.

The afternoon was made even more special by connecting with fellow literacy organizations, including Oakland Literacy Coalition (@oaklitcoalition) and the Oakland Public Library (@oaklibrary), and having our beloved teaching artist and children’s book author Ms. Tee (@msteesdaily) join us!

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the Bay Area’s incredible community of young authors and the power of youth voices.🌱 by @chapter510

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15 days ago

Last weekend, Chapter 510 joined the @childcarelawcenter for their Uncorking the Future of Child Care event at the Oakland Museum of California (@oaklandmuseumca).

The evening celebrated more than 45 years of the Child Care Law Center’s impactful advocacy for early childhood education. We were thrilled to be part of this beautiful event—sharing our youth-written books with more members of our community and prescribing attendees joyful, uplifting poems written by Oakland youth.

Chapter 510 is proud to support and be in community with organizations dedicated to creating chance and advocating for young people. Thank you Child Care Law Center for having us! by @chapter510

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16 days ago

Happy autumn equinox! 🍂

AUTUMN IN ERITREA, written by Essey Zemichael captures the beauty of this season.

During the equinox, day and night are nearly equal in length around the world. Today we celebrate a moment in the season that connects us, no matter how far apart we may be. 🌍 by @chapter510

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17 days ago

Last chance to sign up for our fall teen programs! Explore audio storytelling, creative mentorship, writing, poetry, performance, and more. ✨

🎙️ VIBE CHECK: SOUNDSPACE Season 6
Passionate about storytelling? Learn the art of audio storytelling—no experience necessary! Participants will receive a $350 stipend.

🌟 Divine Radiance (@divineradianceoakland)
A creative mentorship program designed for Black girls and gender-expansive youth in Oakland. Selected participants will receive a $500 stipend and a free copy of PRIDE by Ibi Zoboi.

✍️ @youthspeaks x Chapter 510 Afterschool Workshops
Young writers, poets, performers, and storytellers ages 13–19 are invited to create new work, share their perspectives, and connect with other young artists in Oakland. $200 stipends are available to participants who attend all 3rd Wednesday workshops this fall. Stipends are limited.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more about each program and register! by @chapter510

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21 days ago