The Poetry Brothel Los Angeles Presents: Kraken’s Kiss

On Saturday, June 27th, Poetry Brothel Los Angeles invites audiences to descend beneath the surface for Kraken’s Kiss, an immersive evening of poetry, performance, music, divination, and temptation at Sassafras Saloon. Inspired by the mysteries of the sea and the monstrous beauty that lives beneath it, Kraken’s Kiss transforms Sassafras into a haunted harbor of queer longing and mythic revelry. Guests will encounter sirens, sailors, pirates, prophets, sea witches, and creatures dredged from the depths as they wander through a night of intimate performances and decadent encounters. This special Pride-season edition of the Poetry Brothel will feature an extraordinary lineup of queer performers, poets, musicians, and immersive artists, including newly appointed Los Angeles Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace. Part cabaret, part literary salon, part fever dream, the Poetry Brothel experience invites guests not only to witness performances but to become part of the story itself. Audience members may purchase private readings, secret poems, tarot encounters, whispered confessions, and one-on-one performances throughout the evening. Hosted by poet, educator, and producer Bernadette McComish alongside an ensemble of immersive performers, Kraken’s Kiss asks guests to surrender themselves to the tide — to uncover what waits beneath longing, beneath shame, beneath the stories we tell ourselves about love and hunger. Because some creatures do not drown. They wait.