Hi everyone,
Chuffed to be presenting new work (drafts from my next poetry manuscript) alongside many of my favourite artists at a Summer Soiree (ooh la la). It's tomorrow - Thursday - 7pm at the outdoor amphitheatre at Traill College, part of New Stages' Summer Festival. I can also tell you about an upcoming book launch, a poetry anthology, and a full September.
SUMMER SOIREE
New Stages closes the summer season with a curated collection of short new works for the stage from an incredible array of local artists.
A soiree is a theatrical tradition that promises an evening of new, lively, and varied acts: music, movement, text, and more. A gathering of artists and audience, it’s a vital performance tradition we’re reviving in Peterborough.
We welcome you to join us for our first soiree, on the final evening of the festival.
Featuring: Marty Adams, Dreda Blow, Bill Coleman, Beau Dixon, Andrew Fitzpatrick, Kerry Griffin, Marc Rico Ludwig, Susan Newman & Rob Fortin, Ziysah von Bieberstein, Kate Story, Kate Suhr, and Mark Wallace.
Admittance is free! Runtime: approx. 80–90 min.
Jalynn Bennett Amphitheatre, Traill College, 315 Dublin Street, Peterborough
Thursday, August 20, part of this Free Summer Festival
Take Cover is hosting professor of criminology and queer theory at the University of London, Sarah Lamble, to discuss their new book Unsafe: The Carceral Roots of the Anti-Trans Backlash with local poet and activist Ziysah von Bieberstein.
About the Book:
The twenty-first century “gender wars” have been driven by a powerful and seductive narrative: that safety can be secured through exclusion, surveillance, and the policing of difference. These punitive logics have gained momentum across the political spectrum, fueling an anti-trans backlash and distorting the meaning of safety itself.
Unsafe is a clear-eyed and decisive challenge to the toxic ideas at the heart of this backlash. With patient rigour, Lamble exposes how carceral approaches to safety fail to address root causes of harm, ultimately deepening social divisions and legitimising new forms of violence and control.
Drawing on feminist and queer traditions as well as their experience organizing against prisons and policing, Lamble makes a principled case for a different vision: one where safety is not built on punishment but on collective care, radical solidarity, and transformative justice.
About the Author:
Lamble is a community organizer and Professor of Criminology and Queer Theory at Birkbeck, University of London. Their work explores questions of gender, sexuality, and justice with a focus on feminist and abolitionist alternatives to prisons, police, and punishment. They are based in London.
DOVES BORN OF FLAMES
In other poetry news, three of my pieces are included in a multilingual poetry anthology Doves Born of Flames: Poetry of Resilience from Many Lands, Green Heart Works Press, Monterey, California.
It is available online for free. The physical book is forthcoming.
Naomi Shihab Nye says of the book: "If we listen, we too become more human. If we turn away, where do we deserve to live?"
HELP IS ON THE WAY
Thrilled to announce that Emma Langley has come on board to help me revive my newsletter... and perhaps add some more goodies and poetry offerings (workshops, you say?) More details on that soon...
IN THE MEANTIME
Mark your calendars for the overlapping event-storm that is September in Nogojiwanong:
September 11 - 21 - Jewish High Holy Days
September 14 - 21 - DisOrientation Week
September 19 - 20 - Curve Lake Pow Wow
September 18 - 27 (parade Sept 26) - Peterborough Pride
September 21 - International Day of Peace
September 26 - Mnoominkewin Gathering
September 27 - A Word: Poetry Showcase
September 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Loving you all through the heat and grief and abundance of summer,
ziy