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BIPOC Reading Series – July
Hosted by Kyle Yoshioka and Jessica Meza-Torres, this monthly reading series is intended to prioritize the safety, creativity, and stories of Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color.
The featured readers for July are Jzl Jmz and Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal.
This event is open to everyone, but only people who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color will be invited to read. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Meza-Torres at jmezatorres24@gmail.com or Kyle Yoshioka at kyle.yoshioka@gmail.com.
Jessica Meza-Torres
Jessica Meza-Torres is from San Jose, CA. She is a co-host at the BIPOC Reading Series, sometimes writer, sometimes designer, and always Mexican. She writes about the light at the end of the tunnel.
Kyle Yoshioka
Kyle Yoshioka thinks and writes a lot about belonging. He is the founder and editorial director of Provecho, a publication about the intersection of food and identity, and co-hosts the BIPOC Reading Series at Literary Arts. His writing projects have been supported by the Independent Publishing Resource Center, the McCormack Writing Center Workshop (formerly the Tin House Workshop), and the Andy Warhol Foundation's Precipice Fund. Kyle is working on his debut novel about a multigenerational Japanese American family that explores whether inheritance is destiny.
Jzl Jmz
Jzl Jmz (pronounced juh-zell jaym-s) fka [jayy dodd] is a Black Los Angelena & award-winning Transsexual based in Portland, OR. Her early professional career included positions at The Huffington Post & The Offing. She’s been featured in the LA Times, Poetry Magazine, Oprah Magazine, Ms. Magazine, PEN America, Willamette Weekly, The New York Public Library & several anthologies. She’s the author of 3 full-length poetry collections: Mannish Tongues (Platypus Press 2017), The 2021 Poetry Center Book Prize-winning: The Black Condition ft. Narcissus (2019) & Local Woman (2025) (Nightboat Books). Her film & performance work has been taught & toured nationwide. She has been a Lambda Literary Fellow, & Precipice Art Grant Recipient through Portland’s Institute of Contemporary Art. Her first sculpture exhibition ROOMinnate debuted at Ori Gallery (Aug-Oct 2024). She’s an occasional rapper & founder of Tournament.Haus Mutual Aid Fund. Find her talking slick or in another dimension.
Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal
Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal is an immigrant filmmaker. He draws on the richness of his culture and his passion for cinema to create singular, emotional, and memorable work across his narrative, documentary, and experimental projects. His visual style seeks cinematic poetry in every frame, creating images that transcend reality and inspire a feeling or reaction.
Born and raised in the mountains of Monterrey, México, he fell in love with cinema from a very young age. Shortly after that, he developed a magnetic pull towards any and all cameras and their ability to tell stories. Since then, he's been searching and creating films that captivate and resonate.
His films have been shown in festivals around the world and featured in VICE, PBS, ICON Germany, and The New York Times. His brand work includes Volvo, Nike, Ampere, Skullcandy, Mazda, among others.
