Open Conversation | Thursday 1 March

What does it mean to be a settler, immigrant, or refugee on treaty territory? Join Janice Jo Lee and her guests as they discuss the interplay between different cultures of hospitality and what it means to be a gracious guest.

Open Conversation: What is a warm welcome?

Thursday February 1: Janice Jo Lee with Amy Smoke │ 7 – 8 pm
Thursday March 1: Janice Jo Lee with Nada Humsi │ 7 – 8 pm

Pay what you can. Donations will be given to The Food Bank of Waterloo Region

Janice Jo Lee is a Korean-Canadian, spoken word poet, folk musician, and theatre artist rooted in Kitchener, on Haldimand Treaty territory. She is passionate about building flourishing communities based in justice and joy through art.

Nada Humsi was born in Damascus, Syria, and holds a B.A in English Literature from Damascus University. She came to Canada in 1999 and in 2008 she joined The Multicultural Theatre (the MT Space) in Kitchener. Nada is considered a pioneer in avant-garde and experimental theatre in the Arab world. She wrote and performed the first Verbal-Mime monodrama in Syria, The Option (1988) directed by Riad Ismat, and she continues to perform world-wide. Recent acting credits include parts in The Poster (Teesri Duniya Theatre) in Montreal, Italian Funeral & Other festive Occasions (Drayton entertainment), Women In War (a co-production between The MT Space in Kitchener and Babel Theatre in Beirut), Sultan Basha; a work in progress which Nada wrote and The Last 15 Seconds (The MT Space) directed by Majdi Bou-Matar. Nada has co-established theatre groups in Syria, Japan and Canada. She wrote theatre and constructed acting and Mime. Nada is an Artistic Associate at MT Space.

Amy Smoke (Open Conversation speaker, February 1) is a Mohawk woman, Turtle clan from Six Nations of the Grand River. She holds a BA and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Waterloo. Amy has overcome many of the intergenerational traumas that First Nations face including substance abuse, homelessness, incarceration, poverty, and domestic violence. She uses her personal story to advocate and speak for Indigenous women and youth and actively works to Indigenize post-secondary academic structures.

Open Conversations are sponsored by The Gamble Family