Featured Maine artists include:
- Firefly, a member of the Penobscot Nation and raised in his people’s ancient village at Indian Island, Maine in Firefly: Sacred Fire. A journey through sound, light and emotion from the ancient to the unknown. Deeply influenced by the traditions of his ancestors, Firefly performs both traditional hand drum, shaker and vocal songs as well as cutting edge musical compositions rooted in his ancestral traditions. A hyper creative, Firefly’s artistry involves powerful vocals, eye popping visuals and cutting-edge costumes created by himself and his team.
- Maya Williams (pronouns they/she), Definitions of Home, a showcase of poems touching on mental health, suicide, and racism. Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, Maya is a Black and Mixed Race suicide survivor residing in Portland since 2017. She has published poems with glitterMOB, The Portland Press Herald, Black Table Arts, Occulum, Littoral Books, Homology Lit, and more. Her work has garnered a Best of the Net Nominee and a PortFringe’s Audience Choice Award as well as residencies with Hewnoaks, Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA), and Voices of Our Nation Arts (VONA) Foundation. Maya hosts open mics on most Tuesday nights with Port Veritas.
- Atiim Chenzira’s work titled ‘Destiny Manifest’ is a seven-part multi-media art piece utilizing his poetic spoken-word and Hip Hop lyricism to explore his ancestral experience. His expressive storytelling highlights this familial journey from the East Coast to the West and back. ‘Destiny Manifest’ interweaves Atiim’s personal journey as a husband, father, and “new Mainer,” into his American experience with the larger issues of racism, colonialism, capitalism, and displacement.