Colby-Sawyer College to Host Sister Spit: The Next Generation for a Literary Performance
NEW LONDON, N.H., March 15, 2011 – Colby-Sawyer College will host a performance like no other when Sister Spit: The Next Generation, a queer-centric literary performance group comes to New London. Featuring a group of talented and accomplished underground novelists, performance poets and zinesters who will perform original work, Sister Spit's raucous literary tradition stretches back to 1997.
Sister Spit: The Next Generation, co-sponsored by the Colby-Sawyer Cultural Events Committee and S.A.G.E. (Students Affirming Gender Equality) will perform in Wheeler Hall, Ware Campus Center on Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. Admission to this event is free and the public is invited to attend.
Sister Spit was co-founded in 1997 by current group member and writer Michelle Tea. The group's performances feature readings and interactive components put on by some of the brilliant literary minds of underground LGBT culture.
Members of Sister Spit: The Next Generation in the spring 2011 tour includes co-founder Michelle Tea, novelist and author of four memoirs, a collection of poetry and numerous other publications. Her segment “It's All about You: Yourself as a Character in Memoir, Fiction and Personal Narrative” helps participants to hone the skills necessary to use their personal experience as a tool for shaping their writing.
Also joining the cast is Myriam Gurba, author of the short story and novella collection Dahlia Season. Her “Power of 14” examines American life before and after the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution through examining small-time heroes and ways attendees can use the amendment to protect themselves.
Kirk Read, author of How I Learned to Snap and This is the Thing, brings “Your Body is the Mountain, Your Stories are the Gold” along for the ride. With him, participants will share personal anecdotes on their own terms. Read explores the art of storytelling through writing, spoken word and body movement.
Ali Liebegott is a Sister Spit veteran and writer who has been publishing poems and short stories at a steady rate for the last 20 years. She explains how to find an agent, sticking to a daily writing routine and supporting themselves as writers. Liebegott encourages participants to bring any questions they may have about publishing and writing careers.
Novelist Blake Nelson writes primarily about teenagers and adults who act like teenagers in works like “Girl.” Nelson will help participants explore the fun and imaginative technique of writing from a different perspective than their own.
Also joining the Sister Spit crew is Amos Mac, a photographer, independent publisher and editor-in-chief of “Original Plumbing.” Mac's segment, “Queering the Print Media,” is a hands-on event during which participants piece together their own poetry, photographs and other written work they would like included in their own print magazine. The workshop encourages participants to feel represented by creating an original place to share their creative ideas.
MariNaomi, author and illustrator of the graphic memoir Kiss and Tell, shows participants how to create their own one-page comic about their first kiss or another significant life event.
Those who attend Sister Spit: The Next Generation are encouraged to bring pens, pencils, favorite photographs, written work and paper to the workshops.
The event is sponsored by the Cultural Events Committee. For other upcoming events at Colby-Sawyer, www.colby-sawyer.edu/events.
-Jessica McLavey '10
Colby-Sawyer College is a comprehensive college that integrates the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation. Founded in 1837, Colby-Sawyer is located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Learn more about the college's vibrant teaching and learning community at www.colby-sawyer.edu. Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000
