Join us as we celebrate the opening of Stay– a nautical rope installation by Now + There Accelerator Alum Sam Fields– with a poetry open mic led by Julissa Emile and nighttime projections by Illuminus.

Inspired by Fields’ consideration of softness as a form of strength and as an act of resilience, the night will begin with an invitation for audiences to share writing that responds to themes of staying, softness, migration, labor, mending, and/or the waterfront. In-person sign-ups for the open mic will begin 8 - 8:30 PM, with the open mic program running from 8:30 - 9:30 PM.

Following the open mic hour and sunset Illuminus will be projecting a site-specific light activation onto the six-story facade of Lot Lab’s historic Hoosac Stores building, where Stay is on display. Illuminus uses the creative process of developing and producing nighttime, light-based immersive public art experiences to enable artists to connect, inspire, and empower their communities. 

This program is free and open to the public.  Registration is recommended, but is separate from sign-up for the open mic hour. Open mic sign-ups will only occur-in person on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

Illuminus uses the creative process of developing and producing nighttime, light-based immersive public art experiences to enable artists to connect, inspire, and empower their communities.

Julissa Emile (known affectionately as juju) is a twenty-five year old transplant and chaos baby from the United States Virgin Islands. Their writing focuses on the intersections of blackness, softness and "if that were a garden, what kind of magic would grow from it". They served as the FEMS slammaster from 2018-2020, and have been featured in Button Poetry, Teen Vogue, BET, and Buzzfeed. All of their passions are an extension of their love of poem. With skills in Tarot, herbalism, and event planning and nesting, Julissa Emile is a poet of many shapes.