Freedom Time Book Launch

Freedom Time Book Launch 

Join us for an afternoon of reading, conversation, and dance, in celebration of the new book , a bold and moving collection of written choreography from inside and through Pr*son walls. Published by Sming Sming Books, Freedom Time brings together dances created in confinement in California, Puerto Rico, Palestine, and beyond, with voices from formerly incarcerated and “free world” dancers, choreographers, visual artists, and performers. Using movement and storytelling as acts of resistance and survival, Freedom Time is a call for a world without cages.

Introduced by Romarilyn Ralston, Suchi Branfman, and Vivian Sming, this outdoor program features the Dancing Through Pr*son Walls community, including readings by Richard Martinez and Arthur Groneman of their choreographic pieces, and a performance by Brianna Mims of a compilation written by three women inside the Bayamón Correctional Complex in Puerto Rico. 

Dancing Through Pr*son Walls is a California-based dance and performance project whose mission is to dance with, choreograph with, and tell stories within embodied carceral landscapes and beyond, amplifying voices of incarcerated people and addressing mass incarceration. Proceeds from this book go to sustain Dancing Through Pr*son Walls’ ongoing Freedom Fund, which supports members of our community coming out of Pr*son. 

After the program, attendees are encouraged to join California Coalition for Women Prisoners’s 30th Anniversary with Angela Davis from 5pm-8pm. Tickets here.

Limited copies of the book will be available for purchase after the event.

LOCATION:

Moments Cooperative & Community Space

410 13th St, Oakland, CA 94612

ACCESS INFO:

Masks required & low-scent/no-scent environment (More accessibility info below). Event will be outside.

DATE:

Saturday, October 11th 1:30-3:30pm

Doors Open: 1:30PM

Program Starts: 2PM

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MORE ACCESS DETAILS:

MASKS REQUIRED!

LOW SCENT / NO SCENT SPACE - To attend in person, we ask that everyone comes completely free of fragranced body and clothing products. For more information on low scent / no scent spaces, please refer to our neighbors at East Bay Meditation Center on fragrance free space at the link here.

ACCESSIBILITY / SPACE INFORMATION:

- MASKS ARE ALWAYS REQUIRED, extra masks are available
- low / no scent space
- located at 410 13th St Oakland, near 12th St. BART station
- 1st floor is wheelchair accessible, front door width of 36 in. (front door gate-base sticks out a bit, can make navigating into the store require assistance)
- Gender neutral bathroom on 2nd floor, up a flight of stairs 36 in. wide (14 steps exactly)

Consider supporting Moments and helping us keep our doors open for 2025! Follow the to make a donation of any size to continue to support our programming. We thank you for you support!

Please email [email protected] for any additional accessibility requests and we will do our best to accomodate them.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Moments Cooperative & Community Space, 410 13th Street, Oakland, United States