Nassor At-Thinnin Gant was 11 when he was first introduced to Chapter 510. Nassor‘s mom had heavily encouraged his participation in our single author chapter book workshop, after noticing him bringing home comics he had made using materials at school.

Although Nassor was initially hesitant to participate, he was immediately hooked when he learned he would have the opportunity to bring his characters and ideas to life through writing and illustrations and publish a book of his own.

Nassor had already been sketching and working on a character called “Sonar.” A play on his own name, Nassor wrote and drew Sonar as a way to integrate himself into the stories and media he loved. Whether it was a superhero, an anime, or Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonar was able to adapt and reflect Nassor in these stories.

Through his participation in the program, our Chapter 510 Teaching Artist Ms. Tee challenged Nassor with questions on how Sonar could become an original character and who he wanted him to represent.

Nassor realized Sonar was created in response to feeling like his favorite media lacked representation for characters that looked like him and that he could relate to. There weren’t many nuanced Black characters who were both nerdy and cool explored in these genres. He wanted Sonar to be a character that was multifaceted and celebrated for his differences, not ostracized because of it.

“I wanted to give young Black children more representation and have a more relatable superhero role model.” Nassor reflects.

*Nassor’s siblings holding Sonar at the Chapter 510 center (July 2026)*

During his participation in the workshop, Nassor also had the opportunity to learn more about writing structure and the editing process, skills he’s now carried with him as a writer and a college student. He also got to dive into character work in new and engaging ways.

“We had skit workshops where students got into their characters to learn how to write them. I remember thinking how safe of a space it felt to reenact Sonar and how excited I was.” Nassor shared.

When the workshop concluded, Nassor’s family held on to the finalized copy of Sonar to surprise him with his now published work.

“When I saw the published book it was one of the best days of my life. I think I was jumping for joy.”

Not long after Sonar’s publication, Nassor raised money for him and his family to visit the Philippines where they partnered with an organization that provides resources to students. One of the resources students were given was a copy of Sonar. The students enjoyed the book so much that Nassor was invited to lead a class through drawing and writing a comic book.

Nassor continued to use creative writing as a way to uplift perspectives that are often overlooked in society. For his high school senior project, Nassor wrote a 70-page book about the nuances of Black manhood. A mixed media project combining transcribed interviews of Black mentors in his life, poetry, and photography. Each chapter was an interview he conducted with a mentor. It’s a passion project of his that he aims to continue building and working on throughout college.

Nassor is now an incoming Sophomore at University of Riverside California majoring in African-American studies, while also pursuing Film and Screenwriting. Nassor comes back to poetry when he’s looking to reflect and make meaning of his thoughts and ideas.

Nassor’s search for a safe and encouraging space to explore his creative ideas grew into a withstanding passion—not only for writing but encouraging more young people to connect to the power of their own stories.

“Find joy and inspiration from everything in your life. As a young person, there’s beauty in the purity and optimism in being a child and hold on to that and never let anyone take your shine.” - Nassor At-Thinnin Gant

As we continue to celebrate ten years of Chapter 510, it has been incredible to see our youth writers grow up to harness the power of their own stories to advocate for themselves, Oakland, and the world.

Alumni Spotlight: Nassor At-Thinnin Gant

Welcome Janine Macbeth, our interim executive director!