Charis and Cliterati pair up to present an inviting and fierce open mic & reading series that celebrates new voices and seasoned veterans alike. Co-hosted by Karen G. and Theresa Davis, all are welcome to come and share their work. If you would like to participate as a reader or performer, all you need to do is arrive by 7:15 pm ET to sign up on the list. If you are a non-acoustic musician and would like to plug your instrument into our sound system, please contact info@chariscircle.org ahead of time to let us know so we can have the right setup for you! There are no genre, style, or form requirements, but please keep your set to under five minutes to allow everyone to have a turn!

This month's featured poet is Dagmar Jill Caldwell Spisak in celebration of Witness Cremation. In Witness Cremation, award-winning poet Dagmar Jill Caldwell Spisak delves into the depths of grief, loss, and love in a poignant collection of poems. This intimate, heart-wrenching journey explores the visceral pain of losing a loved one and the transformation that follows, capturing moments of tenderness, sorrow, and bittersweet memories. From the stark reality of cremation to the tender care for a dying partner, Spisak's evocative imagery and raw emotion invite readers to bear witness to the power of love and the inexorable march of time.

Witness Cremation is a profound meditation on the human experience that will leave readers with a deeper understanding of the fragility of life and the strength found in the face of loss.

Jill Spisak turned to her passion for poetry to work her way through the death of her long-time lover, Sandra Hamer. Finally these poems are collected in a book, Witness Cremation, which has just been published by Karios Literary. She has an earlier chapbook, Rachel, and has published poems in various journals. She also has poems forthcoming in Sinister Wisdom and a memorial issue of Common Lives/Lesbian Lives. She is scheduled to feature at Cliterati, an open mic at Charis Books and More, and in Gainsville Florida at the Shambhala Center both in September 2023. She reads and sometimes features at open mics around Atlanta, and she has two slams on her calendar for this fall. She is often found at ArtsXchange workshops, slams, and mics, and at Theresa Davis’ Java Speaks Virtual Open Mic, where she has also featured. She loves open mics, which keep her writing consistently, and slams, where she hones the performance of her poems.

She enjoys an active outdoors life and lives on a lake. She regularly crews on other people’s sailboats for the calm joy of sailing.

This is a Charis Circle From Margin to Center Literary Event. The suggested donation is $5, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Accessibility:
Charis Books is a fully wheelchair-accessible space with on-site van-accessible parking, two ramps, and additional overflow-accessible parking nearby. Most of our shelves are on wheels and can be moved to provide additional access. Our bathrooms are wheelchair-accessible and gender-neutral with motion-activated fixtures. Both bathrooms have wheelchair-accessible baby changing tables. Our directional signs are written in braille. Our events are mic'd for sound. We caption videos when we show them in the space. Free ASL interpretation is available for most Charis Circle programs upon request. Please email info@chariscircle.org to request interpretation as early as possible. We have several different kinds of seating for events. If you need a wider or sturdier chair and don't immediately see one available, please let us know and we will help you find one that fits your body. The space has all LED lighting. The space is not scent or chemical free but we do our best to minimize the use of chemicals and scents throughout the space and use low-VOC materials whenever possible. If you have specific questions about the space or how an event can be made more accessible to you, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@chariscircle.org.

Please enter an amount between 0 and $500 to reserve your virtual seat.

Cliterati Open Mic Featuring: Dagmar Jill Caldwell Spisak in celebration of Witness Cremation