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Pink slime. Bullets. Parking meters. Lead poisoning. Exes. Asbestos. Trash and trash talking. Poetry meets the stage in Unnatural Spaces – a fast-paced, often-funny look at the environmental choices we all make to eat, look beautiful, get around, stay on budget, and make it through the day. Join us for a special performance of Unnatural Spaces, the latest play by the Guild’s Poetry Performance Incubator, followed by a post-show conversation with Coya Paz, Anne Evans, and Martin Macias Jr, moderated by Sylvia Ewing on environmental justice.
Limited seats available.
We will be hosting a light reception at 6:00 pm.
Coya Paz is a poet, director, and lip gloss connoisseur who was raised in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil before moving permanently to the United States in 1987. Coya is a proud co-founder of Proyecto Latina and the director in residence for the Poetry Performance Incubator at the Guild Complex. She cofounded Teatro Luna in 2000, and served as co-Artistic Director until 2009. Recent projects include: Unnatural Spaces, a performance about environmental justice; The Americans, based on conversations with 200 people in 10 states; Fa$hion, an adaptation of Anna Cora Mowatt’s play Fashion; Nation of Cowards, a multi-sited performance piece about interracial dialogue; Tour Guides; and Machos, which won the 2008 Non-Equity Jeff Awards for Best New Work and Outstanding Ensemble. Coya is a regular commentator on race, media and pop culture for Vocalo.org (89.5) and has published several articles on Latina performance, Latina/o identities, and public violence. Her artistic work has been profiled in The New York Times, American Theater Magazine, Theater Journal, and the Chicago Tribune, among others. Most recently, she has been awarded 3Arts Residency at Ragdale. Above all, she believes in the power of performance and poetry to build community towards social change.
Anne Evens is the CEO of CNT Energy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping households and communities control their energy costs. In this role she manages a budget of $8 million and a growing staff of 50 while providing oversight for programs related to energy efficiency retrofits in multifamily apartment buildings and single family homes, green and healthy housing, and regional energy and climate change research and action planning. Previously Ms. Evens, lead childhood lead poisoning and radon reduction programs at the Chicago Department of Public Health. Ms. Evens has worked in energy efficiency, environmental health and affordable housing for over twenty years in both the nonprofit and governmental sectors in the U.S. and in southern Africa.
Martin Macias, Jr. is a Chicago native from the southwest side. He is a writer, community organizer, student and journalist. He studies Urban Planning and Public Affairs at UIC where he is building a campaign in support of rights for workers in the collegiate apparel industry. At the nonprofit Chicago Fair Trade he leads a project that engages Chicago Public high school students in discussions about youth activism, international solidarity and labor rights. Martin also blogs and writes for Extra Newspaper and AREA Chicago.
Sylvia Ewing is a meditation teacher, non-profit executive, and award-winning journalist committed to offering her life skills to help others find self-awareness and enlightenment. Her new book Comfort and Joy: Stories of Hope, Meditations for Happiness, offers a look inside the faith practices of a diverse group of happy people from comedian Aaron Freeman, to Santita Jackson and Public Radios Breeze Richardson. Comfort and Joy brings stories about inspirational people and easy to use guides to meditation together in one book. Comfort and Joy provides advice and inspiration for people to live a balanced and happy life right now. Learn more at www.sylviaewing.com
This program was made possible in part by the generous support of the Joyce Foundation, improving the quality of life in the Great Lakes Region and across the country.
Unnatural Spaces runs through October 28.
Sponsored by The Public Square, Guild Literary Complex, and Voice of the City.
Note: Unnatural Spaces is being developed and presented in partnership with Voice of the City at the new Hairpin Arts Center, made possible by a generous grant from the Artistic and Cultural Diversity Initiative of the Chicago Community Trust.
Free and open to the public. For more information please call 312.422.5580. Registration is now closed.
If you need a sign interpreter or require other arrangements to fully participate, please call 312.422.5580. For parking locations near the facility, please visit ChicagoParkingMap.com.