Book Release & Poetry Open Mic with Maya Williams
6:30 pm
6:00 Doors
This event has a community open mic and attendees are encouraged to bring poetry to share!
Join SPACE, the Portland Public Library, and Portland Outright to celebrate the debut poetry collection of Portland poet laureate Maya Williams with a book release & poetry open mic.
“Maya writes in courageous, spirallic time, anticipating a world where poetry is the foundation of wellness curriculums in schools across the country. This is the work of the artist, not just to model vulnerability but to guide us internally and socially.” —Indira Allegra, United States Artists Fellow
About the Book:
“Suicide is often framed as betrayal, even though we live in a world that betrays us. When this world tells us that death is better, what does it mean to have faith in life?Judas & Suicide is a poetry collection navigating religion and suicidality. It approaches these topics through the lens of Black family and community, sadness, medication, sexual violence, the prison industrial complex, media, and Bible verses. Judas & Suicide explores how to be convinced to stay alive without feeling obligated to.” – Game Over Books
About the Author:
Maya Williams (ey/they/she) is a religious Black multiracial nonbinary suicide survivor who is currently the seventh poet laureate of Portland, Maine. May 2023 marks the release of their debut poetry collection, Judas & Suicide, via Game Over Books. October 2023 marks the release of their second poetry collection, Refused a Second Date, via Harbor Editions. They were one of three artists of color selected to represent Maine in The Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America series in 2020 and were listed as one of The Advocate’s Champions of Pride in 2022. She is currently an Ashley Bryan Fellow through the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance. You can follow more of eir work at mayawilliamspoet.com
About the Event:
There will be a featured reading by the author during the first half of the event, followed by a half-hour community open mic. Attendees are encouraged to bring poetry to share!