Now and forever the 3rd Wednesday is Untitled!
Nov. 15, 6 to 9 pm
Middlesex Community College Night!
We celebrate the poetry community of Middlesex with two featured poets:
Professors Jonathan Bennett & Willy Ramirez
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 Our Featured Poets:
Willy Francisco Ramirez is a poet, cultural advocate, and professor of English, creative writing, and humanities at Middlesex Community College. He is the founder and director of La Guagua Reading Group, as well as of the La Guagua Poetry Festival, which is hosted by MCC and features local, regional, and international poets who read their works in translation. Ramírez has published the poetry collection "Fiebre de los días" (Efímera Publisher) and has co-edited the anthologies "Voices and Translations" (Loom Press) and "The Path Belongs to Us" (Casasola Editores). Along with Rhina P. Espaillat, he translated the collection, "Poemas para dormir en tres cuartos” by Taty Hernandez. His poetry has been published in the literary journals Dead River Review and Trasdemar, and in the “Lyrical Somerville” column of The Somerville Times, as well as in numerous poetry anthologies. Ramirez has conducted workshops and presented his work at colleges and literary festivals across the United States and internationally.
Jonathan Bennett is a Writer, Educator, and Scholar. He is Assistant Professor of Humanities and the chairperson of the philosophy and ethics department at Middlesex Community College. Areas of research: Maurice Blanchot; Marguerite Duras; Samuel Beckett; Fragmentary Writing, Avant-Garde Literature, 20th c. Continental Philosophy; Romanticism.
/// 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:
Mill City Speaks is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Untitled featuring Jonathan Bennett & Willy Ramirez from MCC Time: Nov 15, 2023 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87497042108
Meeting ID: 874 9704 2108 Passcode available on request;
email lowellpoetry@gmail.com
/// 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.”