Acclaimed author Elaine Castillo (America Is Not the Heart, How to Read Now) and poet Jason Bayani, Co-Executive Director of Kearny Street Workshop, come together for a reading and conversation presented by Kearny Street Workshop and Green Apple Books to celebrate their newest works: Moderation (Penguin Random House, 2025) and Everyone I Love, Alive (Omnidawn Publishing, 2025).

And get your costumes ready because this will be a Halloween party!

About Moderation:

Moderation imagines the future of big tech and its world-building ambitions—but at heart, this bold, inventive novel is a love story, a romance of repressed longings, class conflicts, and unruly desires. Most of all, it shows us that love is world-building, that the most transformative, futuristic, immersive story of all is one that speaks to our ancient hopes: that harm can be met with repair, that grief can be met with succor, and that two people from entirely different universes can save each other—and perhaps the world.

About Everyone I Love, Alive:

With this collection of poems, Jason Bayani leans into traditions of lyric, song, and prayer to cultivate life while existing within a time of empire and societal collapse. Everyone I Love, Alive wrestles with form to summon both the living and the dead. Bayani’s rich language calls us to experience a connection to cultural heritage and, even during times of oppression, to find the compassion and awareness needed to drive change. These poems show how not only our love and desires—but also our rage and resistance—can be the very things that keep us alive.

KSW and Green Apple Books Present Elaine Castillo & Jason Bayani in Conversation

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General Admission (no cover, donations welcome $5-10 suggested) ticket