The 3rd Wednesday is Untitled!
Sept 21, 6 to 9 pm
Featuring new homie, Chris Ashley!
Since joining our open mic series this past season at CoCo, they’ve been rocking on the open mic and slam series. Now we get some time for Chris to showcase their stuff in a full length set.
The Untitled Open Mic is excited to announce we are hosted at Coffee and Cotton at Mill No. 5. Located in a historic downtown textile building, Mill No. 5 is a destination into what Lowell is; home to independent shops, The Luna Theatre, the Farm Market, and Coffee and Cotton. Coffee and Cotton is the heart of the building, serving up coffee, espresso, and lattes, wine, local craft beer, delicious, made to order, locally sourced options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is also a venue for live music, game nights, community events, and now our Untitled Open Mic.
/// About the Feature ///
Chris Ashley (they/them) is a black, lesbian, non-binary, multi-hyphenate artist and poet from Seminole Land, commonly known as Central Florida. Originally thinking that poetry was only supposed to be written in a diary under lock and key, Chris has since realized the profound weight of what it means to share one’s written words with a room full of strangers - and it’s that very feeling that keeps them writing and performing: first starting out in church performing pieces of worship poetry, then moving into coffee shops, and now being right before you. It is from these very experiences and environments that they draw inspiration from in their writing, especially the themes of who they were vs. who they are now. Though Chris hasn’t released any of their work in writing yet, they’ve been specializing in performing spoken word and, recently, slam for a few years. You can find Chris on artist sourced @chrixxstiana and keep your eyes peeled for their zine coming out soon!
/// Format ///
Sign-Ups Open @ 6pm
Open Mic Starts @ 6:30 pm
Poetry Feature begins after the open reading.
All Done @ 9:00pm
/// Details ///
Free Admission
Food, Drink, and Merch for Sale
@ Coffee & Cotton
250 Jackson St. No. 401
Lowell, Mass. 01852
https://millno5.com/directions/
Also streaming online
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81365870619
Meeting ID: 813 6587 0619 Passcode: 054814
/// Safer Space & Community Guidelines ///
We strive to foster a space of inclusivity and respect. We ask everyone to not bring (in no particular order) ableist, ageist, body shaming, classist, homophobic, misogynist, misandrist, racist, transphobic, oppressive language, attitudes, and actions at the space. We look to hold ourselves and one another accountable to creating a culture in which we treat each other with consent and respect. This includes but is not limited to respecting people's physical and emotional boundaries and receiving explicit verbal consent before touching someone or crossing other personal boundaries. If you are disrupting our safer space we will ask you to leave.
/// Zoom Guidelines /// (Online)
1.) Some best practices suggest being somewhere with minimal background noise and good lighting, use headphones if possible, and close any applications not being used on your device to improve Zoom quality.
2.) It is best to have your display on “Speaker View” to see the host and performer. “Gallery View” will allow you to see all guests at once.
3.) Feel free to add a name and pronoun into your display so we can say hello and know who is joining us. Keep in mind that this event is streaming publicly so take any precautions about sharing your identity.
4.) Guests could also have “Video” on or off, as that is optional.5.) During performances/readings the host will “Mute” all other guests.
6.) Guests are encouraged to show love and gratitude visually on screen or in the chat window.
7.) Please be respectful on screen and in the chat window - and acknowledge the space you can take up in this digital communal platform.
8.) Host will allow guests to un-mute after performances if they choose and able to out loud affirmations or gratitudes.
9.) Any conflicts to the safer space / community guidelines the host may remove you from the Zoom call. If you feel like you have been accidentally or wrongfully removed, please reach out to the organizers.
Please reach out to here with questions regarding the open mic or slam.
“This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lowell Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.”