Last month I wrote a post about the idea for hosting a Night with BGIM: A discussion on race, class and life. At that time, I had an inkling of how the idea would be received but to be honest, I was not prepared for the level of interest. Since making the announcement, people have reached out with many wonderful ideas and suggestions for creating such an event. It turns out there are a lot more Mainers reading in this space than I ever could have imagined.
I have spent the past several weeks investigating venues and thinking of the logistics for such a discussion. I admit some of y’all had far grander ideas than I could envision. In the end though, while I want to host this discussion, I needed to think about what I am really capable of at this time.
In the end, I will be hosting a small-ish discussion on Thursday, October 10, 2013 from 6:30-8:30pm in Biddeford, Maine at a lovely venue called The Oak and the Ax. Originally I was looking at venues in Portland, but taking into consideration my day job and life, at this time a venue closer to work and home works best for me.
The discussion will be limited to 30 participants. I know that means many will not be able to attend, but realistically while I see myself as the facilitator of this discussion, it is important that attendees have a chance to talk and a group of 75+ people in a two hour time span would make that impossible. This discussion is meant to be accessible, decidedly un-academic and very real. We aren’t going to solve all that ails our society in two hours but we will start a discussion that people can carry over into their everyday life. If this first session goes well, I may think about doing it again in another location in the future.
Lastly, there is a cost to attend. The space is not free and there are materials that will be provided, taking all of that into consideration, I priced this at what I hope is an affordable $15 per person (plus a buck and change surcharge for using Brown Paper Tickets). If you want to attend and cannot afford the fee, let me know. I don’t want cost to be a barrier. If you are interested in attending, I would suggest getting a ticket sooner rather than later, I posted the ticket information last night on the BGIM Facebook page and it seems already a few tickets have been sold.
Looking forward to meeting y’all!
Buy tickets for A Night with BGIM…a discussion on race, class and life
Thank you! In the future, I may see if there is a way to replicate this experience digitally but for know I want to see how it works in real time.
Awesome! Wish there could be a Skype screen in the corner to listen in. :). (The cyber age version of a fly on the wall)
Wow, all the organizing seems like it came together so well and I am thinking about the sweet timing of this announcement- 50 yrs after the March on Washington the dialog continues.
I wonder if you will do something like the talking stick exercise where everyone speaks uninterrupted and everyone listens. ?
Look forward to reading afterward. Thanks for doing this.