PEER TALK at Willie Brown Middle School

Peer Talk Episode 13: J. K. Fowler, Executive Director of the Bay Area Book Festival

The 2026 Bay Area Book Festival heads to Downtown Berkeley from Friday, May 29 to Sunday, May 31, hosting over a hundred panels and special guests. It's an event where readers and writers of all sorts come together to hold meaningful conversations on both local and global interests. The Festival's rebellious, community-focused spirit is in part thanks to its current Executive Director, J. K. Fowler. J. K. is a prolific essayist whose body of work focuses on social justice and human connection. In 2011, J. K. founded Nomadic Press, a community-oriented publishing house in Oakland; Nomadic Press will return as Nomadic Bookshop in 2026, after a three-year hiatus. J. K. is also a Policy and Outreach Analyst with BAMBD, CDC (Black Arts Movement Business District Community Development Corporation of Oakland). He pushes people to think outside their comfort zone and open dialogues with others from all walks of life. We were lucky to have met J. K. just before the end of the school year — AND before the Book Festival — so we could have the students at Willie Brown Middle School interview him. Listen in as Mr. Mathews' Ethnic Studies class speaks to J. K. Fowler!

Peer Talk Episode 12: William May, doorman at the Fairmont Hotel

Since 1907, the Fairmont Hotel — located in the upscale neighborhood of Nob Hill — has been one of San Francisco's most esteemed and elegant institutions. For over 50 years, the first person to greet Fairmont guests upon their arrival has been the doorman, William May. May began working at the Fairmont in the mid-1970s, at a time when African-Americans had far-less-prominent roles in the hospitality industry. In his illustrious career as doorman and brand ambassador for the Fairmont, May has met famous historical figures like Thurgood Marshall and John Lewis, U.S. Presidents, other world leaders, entertainers, and more. All the while, he has proudly embraced his role in the history of the hospitality industry, and unwaveringly embodied the mission of the Fairmont Hotel and its brand. Listen in as Mr. Mathews' Ethnic Studies Class interviews the legendary William May!

Peer Talk Episode 11: William Shakespeare

In March of 2026, Peer Talk and the students of Willie Brown Middle School received a very special visitor from 400 years in the past: the Bard himself, William Shakespeare! Thanks to Kevin Patterson of Red Barn Productions, Peer Talk got in touch with Joseph Schmitz, an actor who has performed as Shakespeare at the Northern California Renaissance Faire for the past three decades. Schmitz is also a teacher of Shakespeare's Heartbeat — a performing arts program for neurodiverse students to engage with theatre through Shakespeare's iambic pentameter — as part of Eureka Street Learning in San Francisco. Schmitz joined our podcast in-character as William Shakespeare to answer questions from Ms. Vanessa Paiz's Eighth Grade English class, who had just studied and performed Twelfth Night. Join the students as they learn more about Shakespeare's life, the world of theatre in the 15th–16th Centuries, and how stage plays from hundreds of years ago can still resonate with audiences in the modern day.

Peer Talk Episode 10: Tech Forum Round Table

On February 26, 2026, our Tech Forum event in the Willie Brown Middle School library concluded with a round table discussion featuring all five of our interview guests — Maynard Holliday, Taylore Givens, Jared Givens, Richard Jones, and Adam Perry. Susan, Gregory, and computer science teacher Jonathan Jacobson opened the floor to hear our guests' thoughts on how the event went and what it meant to them. Stay tuned to hear insightful reflections from the panel — as well as the answers to some questions that the students didn't ask! Thanks for following along with our Tech Forum, and we'll see you next time on Peer Talk! Special thanks to Wayne Perry, Adam Perry, and Cornerstone Concilium, Inc. for their help with this event.

Peer Talk Episode 9: Jared Givens, Richard Jones, and Adam Perry (Tech Forum, Part 2)

On February 26, 2026, Peer Talk held a live event in the library of Willie Brown Middle School, where three groups of students collectively interviewed five leaders in the technology industry. Our gracious panel guests gave insightful answers to the students' questions about modern tech — in particular, the current A.I. boom — and how it currently affects and will affect our society. To conclude the panel, Mr. O's eighth grade peer resources class interviewed Jared Givens, a software engineer working for Tesla; Richard Jones, a technology executive from Intel; and Adam Perry, executive director of a nonprofit focused on connecting students with mentorship. Thanks for listening — and see you next episode for a special round table discussion with all five of our interview guests! Special thanks to Wayne Perry, Adam Perry, and Cornerstone Concilium, Inc. for their help with this event.