On Saturday, August 20, 2011, Voices from Inside’s VFI/Out program is hosting a poetry performance entitled This Is About Me.

The event, which will take place in Northampton will include many veteran VFI performers, but also introduce women who have just been released into the community.

Cathy McNally, volunteer director of VFI/Out, says that the women performers are eager to share their writing with others.

“Many of these women have experienced periods of great isolation, for some it was recent and for others, it was a long time ago. They are all eager to break that isolation and share the news of their experience with the audience. The women love performing and are empowered by the impact they can have,” McNally said. “Recently after one of our writers received a standing ovation at a fundraiser, she said, ‘Oh my gosh, I made people cry – in a good way!’ The women are often shocked that anyone would want to listen to them. Hearing these women read what they have written about their incarceration, their addiction, their hopes reminds us what we can easily forget — that people who happen to go to jail are just like us, with the same feelings, hopes, and sorrows.”

Tickets to the event are just $10. This Is About Me will feature performances by the women of VFI, followed by a reception where guests can meet the women. New VFI T-shirts, anthologies, and chapbooks will be for sale.

Details:
This Is About Me
Saturday, August 20, 2011
7 p.m.
Frances Crowe Community Room, Media Education Foundation
60 Masonic Street, Northampton, MA 01060
Tickets: $10, available at the door
Language and themes are not suitable for children.

For more information, contact Cathy McNally at (413) 575-5164 or (413) 586-5215 or Robin Glenn, Executive Director of Voices from Inside at (413) 642-0724.