About this Event
Writing As Healing (WAHLA) presents to you: SACRED INK & BLACK LOVE: An Afternoon celebrating Black History Month, Poetry & the Arts featuring Long Beach Neverspeak! (Philosophy, Tommy Domino, Dr. V, Shy but Flyy and RAVINA) & "PW" (Poet & DJ); hosted and curated by RAVINA
Event includes: Guided writing workshop, panel, featured performances, open mic, DJ Set & vendors!
This event will include an all levels guided generative writing workshop, open mic, panel, featured performances, a DJ set and a chance to meet these incredible featured artists up close and personal at a book signing after. This celebratory afternoon was curated specifically to celebrate and honor the legacy of Black Artistry, and its influence, legacy and impact on our artivism, voice, and mission. Together we will take up space, and speak our truths, we will write and release. Participants are guaranteed to leave with a new piece through a dynamic set of features, guided prompts, mindfulness, community and spoken word. We will journey deep within the soul to excavate the words that have been yearning to be set free!
ENTRY & ADMISSION:
Doors open 2:30pm
$20 cover includes general admission, journal & writing utensil, VIP meet and greet, open mic & workshop entry, refreshments. All ages welcome
ARTIST BIOS:
RAVINA is a South Asian bestselling author, spoken word poet & licensed therapist,based in Long Beach CA. YELLOW is her collection poetry published by World Stage Press & recipient of the Long Beach Best Poetry Collection of 2021. RAVINA has performed poetry on nationally and internationally acclaimedstages including the United Nations, and the House of Blues. Ravina is a touring and performing spoken word artist with the collective NeverSpeak Long Beach!
RAVINA’s work as a poet has been featured in Diverse Verses LA's documentary "Brand New Day", Yahoo, the Sentinel Los Angeles, Voyage LA, SHOUTOUT Atlanta, Rooted Minds, and Livewire’s literary journal at Fullerton College. Ravina is a Pushcart Prize nominee & founder of “Writing as Healing” workshop & mic, a program that honors the intersection of creative writing and mental health. With a reach of thousands of attendees to date & being featured at the prestigious LA Get Down Festival; Ravina continues to host and curate this space on a bimonthly basis in Los Angeles and beyond.
@ravina.340 @writingashealing.la @solbloomewellness
Philosophy is an extremely accomplished and debonair poet whose professional credits include TV One's "Verses & Flow; Opening act for Grammy Award Winner Gary Clark Jr. and songstress Alice Smith; Featured artist for The Fly Poet Showcase; Key Note Poet for the 2021Black/Pan African Graduation for CSU Long Beach; Opening act for world renowned poet, Saul Williams on his 'Martyr Loser' tour. He put forth the legislation for the Youth Poet Laureate Program in Long Beach Ca; He was Recruited by Google to implement Spoken Word workshops. He has had his work featured at the Long Beach museum of Art In the exhibit“Ordinary People” He has graced the cover of Art for Ashes Magazine, and Performed as a feature artist at the House of Blues. He is a Producer of the Pan African Film Festival Spoken Word Fest In 2018-present. He was a featured Artist, at the J.Paul Getty Museum, to commemorate their 25 years of being established in Los Angeles. He is one of the Founding Members of LONG BEACH NEVERSPEAK ! He had the privilege of performing at the inauguration of the Major elect Rex Richardson in Long Beach 2022, The City of Long Beach, and the Major's Office commissioned a mural in his honor. Currently he also holds a residency with Secret Island Tiki Lounge alongside KLBP 99.1 FM & Acoustic Soul Collective, which hosts a monthly Wednesday radio show , along with currently serving as the Creative Director and Board member of TEX Shoreline (Long Beach).
@philosophystyle
SHY BUT FLYY
Shy But Flyy is a Blues, Jazz, and spoken- word artist currently located in Long Beach CA. Shy But Flyy leads her own blues band that plays locally at restaurants and festivals. She has also graced the stage internationally in London for the past two years. In 2025 she received the "rising star award" from long beach blues festival. Look out for her book of poetry titled “The
Meaning of The Blues”. Shy has hosted, performed and curated blues and poetry events world wide and continues building her legacy as the "Queen of Long Beach Entertainment", as she is affectionately known in Long Beach Neverspeak.
@shybutflyy
TOMMY DOMINO
Tommy Domino an Alumni from the Community Literature Initiative is a spoken blues poet raised in Northwest Pasadena. Member of the Stillwater’s Writers Collective since (2012). His work is featured in two Anthologies: Sounds for the Water (2013) & Poets, Allies for Resistance (2015) and Black Minds Publishing (2/2021). Co-Founder of Poetry Friends & Drinks in 2016. His book Switches, Hot wheel Tracks & Extensions Cords was published by World Stage Press (2018). He has performed at tributes for: The 50th Anniversary of The Watts Writers Workshop of 1965, The Watts Prophets and The Last Poets. Served as a member of Diverse Verses and Co-Producer of The Annual Pan African Film Spoken Word Festival from (2017-2021). He is a member of the poetry collective @NeverSpeakLB. Facilitates the Long Beach poetry cohorts for the Community Literature Initiative (2020-Pres.) Community Literature Initiative Teacher of the Year (2022) His new collection Closer in the Rearview was released last fall and continues to hit stages city and nation wide.
@dizztommy
DR. V
Dr. Nooshin Valizadeh (she/hers) is a trauma-informed violence preventionist, educator, poet and author with a deep commitment to advancing equity, inclusion and belonging in educational and organizational contexts. With a distinct focus on intersectionality, she approaches every initiative with an appreciation for the interconnected nature of identity and the challenges faced
by marginalized communities. Dr. Nooshin is a trilingual, passionate advocate for professional development, leveraging her expertise to enhance practitioner efficacy, and cultivate a more inclusive and equitable workplace climate. Her clients include school districts, universities, politicians, Fortune 500 companies, and more. A skilled spoken-word artist, she advocates for empowerment and awareness of the global community of historically marginalized survivors of violence, as well as a nuanced and deeper understanding of identity and society around us. On the day of the Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation in 2018, she was asked to perform her "Survivor Solidarity" poem in front of over 22,000 people, and was picked up by World Stage Press soon after. Her poetry book WOMXN, gives voice to the survivorhood and resistance of a womxn’s existence in America in the form of chapters that demonstrate ways in which WOMXN can be emotionally unhoused in exile, empowered in solidarity and more.
Visit her at www.drnooshv.com.// @drnooshinv
"PW" (Poet & DJ)
Pw is an author, DJ, and Tuskegee University alumna whose work operates with precision, cultural authority, and intent. Her debut poetry collection, Fever Memory (World Stage Press, 2023), is archived throughout the Los Angeles Public Library system, and she co-produced Long Beach Spits Fire (2024) with the Long Beach Arts Council and Community Literature Initiative. As DJ Pw., she is a resident and ongoing house DJ for Shades of Afrika’s Griot Café and Slanguage, where her controlled, intergenerational sets blend soul, house, hip-hop, and global sound into cohesive, high-impact experiences.
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Check FAQs below for details on our refund policy.
Please Note: Restrooms are not available for public use. In order to remain fair and compliant, we cannot make exceptions. We appreciate your understanding and recommend planning accordingly.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Plantiitas, 2011 East 4th Street, Long Beach, United States
USD 23.18
