Wanda's Picks

1. Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD is the founding producing director ofThe Lower Bottom Playaz, Oakland's premiere North American African Theater Company, going into its 20th year of production. Nzinga was inducted into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame in 2017, recognized by  the Alameda County County Arts Commission for Excellence in Arts Leadership in 2016, Theater Bay Area for being one of the 40 faces to change the face of theater in the Bay Area, and the Helen Crocker Russell Art Award (SFF 2017). Dr. Nzinga is the only director or producer to mount and direct the entire August Wilson Century Cycle in chronological order.  Her new book, The Horse Eaters  an origin tale is on sale at Nomadic Press. Her latest work, Lifer, closes a season of original works, dedicated to exploring incarceration with this story based on the life and times of Lifer at Large, Glenn Bailey who also joins us this morning. Glenn Bailey is A Lifer at Large ©, having spent a total of 52 years incarcerated in the California Pena