Make A Space For Me
June 25th, 7-9 pm
Sliding scale $5-7, No one turned away for lack of funds.
Vox Populi is pleased to announce the first program in a new event series creating and building a space for trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming artists/makers/thinkers and audiences curated by Vox member Lane Speidel (they/them).
The first installment featuring a video by Ren Cook (he/him), a performance of music by Doriana Thornton (they/he), a reading of literature by Berry Grass (they/she), and a performance by Adonis BC Okonkwo (he/him).
Individual who attend this event are reminded to ask, never assume, about others’ gender pronouns; as per the event organizer, any audience members who misgender fellow attendees of this event will be asked to leave.
Ren Cook is red iron oxide. A writer and performance artist who currently lives in Oakland. He loves to eat tomatoes like apples and his favorite scent is lavender mixed with sweat. “This video piece is a collaboration with Han Hal, the cinematographer. It is a tribute to River Phoenix and my second puberty.”
Doriana Thornton
“I have a troubled relationship with my parents. My cat is old and wonderful and small. But everyone loves talking about their cats. Not from this place, from Virginia.
Only Child. Lonely Child. Dirty Boy.
I will be performing banjo chords and songs about me. Large focus on trauma, mental health; my therapist is telling me to focus on the good parts of me.
And I’m trying.”
Berry Grass is a transfeminine writer who lives & teaches in Philadelphia. When they aren’t reading submissions as Nonfiction Editor of Sundog Lit, they are embodying what happens when a Virgo watches too much professional wrestling.
“I’ll be reading from Hall of Waters, my manuscript in progress. It’s a mixed-forms (lyric essay/poetry/archival research) examination of Excelsior Springs, MO — my strange, historic, ruined, waterlogged hometown.”
Adonis BC is a 25 year old performance artist. Originally from Albany, Georgia, Adonis began to explore the intersection of storytelling, music and movement with high school marching band. After graduating from Georgia State University with a degree in journalism and film, Adonis continued independent study on the body and performance. Some of his focus of research include, queer peoples relationship with art house pornography, trans inclusivity and representation in the reproductive justice movement, and the rise and fall of disco and it being a safe haven for marginalized peoples. Adonis blends and genres of ambient, deep house, trap and dark wave to weave narratives of illness, escape and recovery.
“Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche is a working performance piece examining masculine themes and dynamics. It will be an interactive piece and audience will participate including cutting my clothes off and throwing eggs and milk at me.”
To submit to future iterations of this series email: lane.speidel@gmail.com
