For years I have been on the performer side of presentations, but suddenly I find myself organizing a three part on-line artists series! I have been committing to curate The BTS Center’s 2021 Summer Arts Series. It is an on-line event that is open to the public and features a lineup of poets, memoirist, performance artists, and even a circus artist! I would love it if you came to one (or all three events!) There are scholarships available at registration anyone can claim if they need one.
We will create a modern online arts salon. Salon gatherings in the early 1900’s brought together people who were asserting themselves in a society that was dominated by a handful of men in power. Women often organized these gatherings in their sitting rooms or bedrooms. They invited friends and then brought them together with painters, writers, and thinkers. Together they plunged into passionate conversations about art, politics, and the hot button topics of the day.We begin our Summer Arts Series on Thursday July 8th with Aminatta Forna, author of The Devil that Danced on the Water: A Daughter’s Memoir, and Glen Retief, who wrote The Jack Bank: A Memoir of a South African Childhood. Both were born on the African continent and were eyewitnesses to violent struggles over power and freedom. Now professors of creative writing at universities in the USA, they provide keen insights into what it is like to be a foreigner in America. Aminatta and Glen are also close friends who enjoy lively conversation with each other. Seeing these two award-winning writers in action will be an unforgettable experience. The first 50 people who register for the July 8th event (or the whole series) will receive a free copy of Aminatta Forna’s new book of essays, The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion! (Limited to registrants with a mailing address in USA & Canada.)
Other artists include:
- Pádraig Ó Tuama from Ireland, is a poet and theologian, whose work centers around themes of language, power, conflict and religion. He is also the host of Poetry Unbound with On Being Studios
- Maya Williams(she/hers, they/them, and ey/em) from Portland, Maine, USA is a religious, queer, Black, Mixed Race, suicide survivor who is constantly writing poems.
- Chilean-born circus performer Valentina Solari
- Public visual and performance artist Eve Mosher
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