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Theater for Change Workshop with The McKeen Center and Maine Inside Out

April 10, 2024 | 6:30 p.m.
Ladd House, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, Brunswick, Maine

Maine Inside Out creates theater and performance as a tool to deepen our understanding of ourselves and our social conditions. This workshop will explore creativity, playfulness, relationships, and change in the context of carcerality and liberation.

Film, music, poetry, discussion with Toshi Reagon, Liza Jessie Peterson, and Joseph Jackson

March 28, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.
Pickard Theater, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, Brunswick, Maine

Through film, performance, and discussion, acclaimed artists Toshi Reagon (McKeen Visiting Fellow, 2022–2023) and —activist playwright, poet, and the focus of a film that details her experience performing in Angola prison, Angola Do You Hear Us?—reflect on the impact of carcerality on our social well-being. Reagon and Peterson will be joined in conversation by , interim co-executive director and director of community programs at Maine Inside Out and executive director of Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition.

Film, music, poetry, discussion with Toshi Reagon, Liza Jessie Peterson, and Stacy Perez

March 29, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.
Mechanics' Hall, Portland, Maine

Through film, performance, and discussion, acclaimed artists Toshi Reagon (McKeen Visiting Fellow, 2022–2023) and —activist playwright, poet, and the focus of a film that details her experience performing in Angola prison, Angola Do You Hear Us?—reflect on the impact of carcerality on our social well-being. Reagon and Peterson will be joined in conversation by , a theater project facilitator at Maine Inside Out.

Community Discussion and Open-Mic with Maine Inside Out

March 27, 2024 | 5:30 p.m.
Lewiston-Auburn Arts, 168 Lisbon Street, Lewiston, Maine

Join Maine Inside Out for a night of performances, poetry, music, and community. Performances will feature local musician Kenya Hall and MIO artists. There will also be open spots for community performances.

Teach-in on Carcerality

March 4, 2024 | 6:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, Brunswick, Maine

Featuring  (Colby College) and (Harvard University) 

Moderated by Professor Bianca Williams

As a prelude to the exciting performance by Reagon and Peterson, activist scholars Jarrett Martin Drake and Catherine Besteman will hold a public discussion on how the histories of carcerality throughout the US, Somalia, and South Africa inform oppressive networks of surveillance and security and influence present-day organizing toward abolition.

Parable of the Sower Afro-Futurist Panel

May 1, 2023 | 5:30–7:00 p.m.
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ

Featuring Kelly Stevenson '25, Professor Judith Casselberry, Professor Samia Rahimtoola, and Professor Marilyn Reizbaum

Moderated by Weatherspoon '25

A panel of faculty and students exploring why Octavia E. Butler is such an essential author, and how we can engage with Afro-futurism as a genre of literature but also as a way of life.

Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower

April 14, 2023 | 7:00 p.m.
Merrill Auditorium, Portland, Maine

Created by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon
Music and Lyrics by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon
Co-Directed by Signe Harriday and Eric Ting

All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you. Based on the landmark sci-fi novels by Afrofuturist author Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower is a genre-defying, modern congregational opera that celebrates two centuries of Black music. Written by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon, Parable chronicles the spiritual awakening of Lauren Olamina amidst an America plagued by the products of unrelenting greed, systemic injustice and climate change denial. With an ensemble of more than 20 musicians, Parable transforms the operatic form, fusing African-American spiritualism, deep insights into gender and race, and climate activism into a new musical experience that thrills and inspires. Event Recap

A Quantum Exchange: Panel Discussion with Artists Abigail DeVille and Daniel Minter

Artists Abigail DeVille and Daniel Minter discuss their practice as related to the Parable Path Maine, a framework for community organizing and artistic engagement based on Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower. Presented in partnership with the º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ Museum of Art, Parable Path Maine, Indigo Arts Alliance, Maine Humanities Council, and the halley k harrisburg ’90 and Michael Rosenfeld Artist-in-Residence program.

Songs of the Living: A Community Sing with Toshi Reagon

Join us on Tuesday, April 11, for Songs of The Living. Led by Toshi Reagon, this community sing-along will teach participants songs from Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower the Opera, exploring the beautiful restorative power that resides in our collective voices. Please arrive between 5:30 and 5:45 to take a rapid covid antigen test; tests will be provided. Masks will be required. The event will begin at 6 p.m.

Tree Story: What We Can Learn º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ Climate History from the Rings in Trees

March 30, 2023 | 7:00 p.m.
The Lantern, Roux Center, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, Brunswick, Maine

Dendrochronology—from the Greek words dendron (tree) and chronos (time)—allows us to study climate over the past ca. 2,000 years and to put current anthropogenic climate change in a long-term context. Sitting at the nexus of climatology, ecology, and archeology, dendrochronology improves our understanding of the interactions between the climate system, human systems, and ecosystems.Hosted by the Biology Department.

The Parables Experience at MozFest Virtual

March 20-24, 2023 | Various Times
Virtual

The Parables Experience at MozFest 2023 will illuminate both the roots of systemic oppression AND community-led solutions and strategies in the face of climate catastrophe, criminalization, and exploitation. In Octavia E. Butler’s Parables series, a community creates collective solutions and strategies in the face of climate catastrophe, criminalization, and exploitation. The Parables Experience will approach this by exchanging stories and strategies between global communities. This experience will feature the work of a diverse range of artists, activists and community organizers who will share the unique intersections of their practices with the themes of Butler’s Parables. Participants will not only hear about the projects but receive prompts that guide practical applications and agency to their everyday lives. There will be a range of synchronous and self-guided exploratory experiences from live conversations to workshops and a virtual online Parable Pavilion.

Discussion Project

March 21, April 25, May 30 | Various Times
Curtis Public Library

All across the state, Mainers are joining Toshi Reagon’s Parable Path! This three-session Discussion Project (multi-session facilitated text-based discussion group) participants will focus on The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi, Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward, and of course Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. April 25 will be a special session with Lewiston Public Library, Bangor Public Library, and Curtis Memorial Library via Zoom.

Discussion Project: What if Community is the Key to Our Resilience?

March 21, April 4, April 25 | 5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Lewiston Public Library

The Lewiston Public Library will host a three-session Discussion Project entitled “What if community is the key to our resilience?” facilitated by Samara Cole Doyon. The program will focus on  by Paolo Bacigalupi,  by Julia Glass, andby Octavia Butler. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with each other and the big questions that impact all of us. What if humanity is both its own nemesis and savior? What if we read these texts as both a parable about our present and a warning for our future? What if the future is ours to collectively create?

A Raisin in the Sun

March 2-4, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.
Wish Theater, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, Brunswick, Maine

Please join us for Lorraine Hansberry’s masterpiece that chronicles an American Black family’s struggle and resilience, produced by the Department of Theater and Dance, performed by º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ and professional actors, and directed by guest director Craig Anthony Bannister. Department of Theater and Dance

Freestyle Friday

March 3, 2023 | 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Indigo Arts Alliance, 60 Cove Street, Portland, Maine

This monthly cypher series encourages and centers global majority peoples to exercise their creative minds in a freestyled jam-like musical space that's rooted in the communal aspects of Hip Hop culture. Curated by and community friends, February’s installment of Freestyle Friday is presented as a part of the Parable Path Maine Initiative. Folks are invited to engage in freestyle exercises and interactive materials that will help expand on the concept of “change” based on the chapters in Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower. Participants are welcome to rap, sing, dance, DJ, play instruments, create art, or just catch a vibe during a session. Open to all, no RSVP necessary.

Discussion Project: How Can We Sustain Each Other in Community?

February 28, March 28, April 25 | 5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Crofutt Community Room, Bangor Public Library, and Online via Zoom

All across the state, Mainers are joining Toshi Reagon’s Parable Path! In this three-session Discussion Project (multi-session facilitated text-based discussion group), participants will focus on Foodtopia by Margot Anne Kelley, Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward, and of course Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. This program is part of Parable Path Maine, a framework for community organizing developed by musician Toshi Reagon, that brings people together to engage with the belief systems and interrelated social issues that impact healthy living in Maine and the world.

Songs of The Living: A Community Sing With Toshi Reagon

February 12, 2023 | 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Indigo Arts Alliance, 60 Cove Street, Portland, Maine

Join us for Songs of The Living, an afternoon of harmony and deep conversation. Led by Toshi Reagon, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ’s 2022–2023 Joseph McKeen Visiting Fellow, this community sing-along will teach participants songs from Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower the Opera. We invite you all to gather with us as we explore the beautiful restorative power that resides in our collective voices. Participants who are able to attend the performance at Merrill Auditorium, April 14, will be invited by Toshi to lend their voices at key points from their seat in the audience.

Mother Voices: Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Rachel Harding, and Toshi Reagon

February 10, 2023 | 7:00 p.m.
Pickard Theater, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, Brunswick, Maine

Please join Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Rachel Elizabeth Harding, and Toshi Reagon for “Mother Voices: Transformative Intergenerational Journey, A Conversation.” Hosted at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ's Pickard Theater, these three groundbreaking creatives will fuse their wisdom, spirit, and minds as they discuss the beauty and power of intergenerational learning and teaching. Event Recap

Open Mic Event

February 9, 2023 | 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
188 Lincoln Street, Lewiston, Maine

(MIO) open mics have a legacy of being a convergence point between those we serve and the public at large. MIO works to build a world where everyone matters and belongs through the creating and sharing of art that centers the voices and experiences of system-impacted people. MIO's community artists are featured in open mic performances that include spoken word and music. We also invite members of our extended community to come, perform, and experience our event, and we encourage interpersonal connections facilitated by the event.

This month's event includes a remembrance of a brother in the struggle, Bobby "Paco" Payzant, who recently passed. Bobby performed at our last open mic and was an advocate and mentor to many system-impacted peoples.

Toshi Reagon's Birthday Concert

January 27, 2023 | 8:00 p.m.
Virtual

Please join us for this live-streamed concert direct from Joe’s Pub in NYC in honor of Toshi Reagon’s birthday.

Say What's Real! a poetry concert

December 10, 2022 | 7:00 p.m.
Studzinski Hall, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, Brunswick, Maine

Presented by Weatherspoon in collaboration with The º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ Review
Sponsored by the McKeen Center and BSG

too often community-centric efforts neglect valuable individualism. no two people in the world belong to the same reality, though their experiences may be similar. in order to truly strengthen any kind of collective vision for a better world, each member of the collection must share what it is they see, think, and feel. this is a safe space, an artistic space—somewhere to be more honest than you’ve ever been. each of the performers are encouraged to say what’s real to them and each audience member is encouraged to truly listen as we celebrate our differences and welcome each other into our worlds through poetry. Event Recap

An Evening with Toshi Reagon

October 26, 2022 | 7:30 p.m.
Pickard Theater, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, Brunswick, Maine

Toshi Reagon, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ’s Joseph McKeen Visiting Fellow, 2022-2023, will share an evening of music and conversation centered on racial justice, climate justice, gender justice, and faith. Toshi will be joined by Judith Casselberry, Associate Professor of Africana Studies at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, Samaa Abdurraqib, Executive Director of Maine Humanities Council, Daniel Minter, Co-Founder & Artist Director of Indigo Arts Alliance, and others in a discussion of the significance of Butler’s work, contemporary societal challenges, and the importance of community. Event Recap