Poet and author extraordinaire Kirli Saunders meets the haunting theatrical music of Jex Lopez! Stories, poems and the skeleton waltz.

This night will also be the Sydney welcome for Kirli's poetry collection Kindred (just published with Magabala Books).

Tickets at door, scaled for equality: $10 / $15 / $20
Ticketing tier info: https://wordinhand.com.au/tickets

DOORS & OPEN MIC SIGNUP from 7
OPEN MIC at 7:30
FEATURE ACTS from 8:30

Open mic welcomes you to share a poem or story! Whether it's through words, song, or rhyme: the stage is there to be shared. Sign up on the night, 3 MINUTES time limit.

-----ARTIST BIOS-----
Kirli Saunders is a proud Gunai woman, residing on Dharawal Country. She is an international children’s author, poet and emerging playwright. Kirli manages Poetry in First Languages at Red Room Poetry. In 2019, you can find her at Enough Said Poetry Slam, NT Writers Festival, Queensland Poetry Festival and Sydney Writers' Festival.

Artist and storyteller based on Bundjalung country in the Northern Rivers of NSW, Jex Lopez Music creates quirky, dark yet inspirational tales with her piano, laptop and haunting powerhouse voice. She sings about spaceships, queer utopic planets, roadkill and well dressed skeletons that want to marry. Her intelligent, irreverent lyrics explore social themes against a backdrop of theatrical music of a Latin bent.
"Fierce and beautiful story telling...an authentic offering to the sonic gods." (Betty Grumble)
"It’s so good. Brilliant- it’s unique, beautiful, and interesting. Great song writing, excellent narratives in the lyrics. Honestly, I just love it so much.” (the late Candy Royalle)
Stream the album for free a couple times or download album: https://jexlopez.bandcamp.com/releases
Photo by Denise Alison.

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Word in Hand is Sydney’s premier and most diverse performance and storytelling gig, the first Tuesday of every second month at the Red Rattler Theatre in Marrickville. Expect to see poetry, rhyme, song, movement and more by artists from across the nation and the world. Their work will light a fire under your belly and in your heart.
https://wordinhand.com.au/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We pay our respects to the Gadigal and Wangal people of the Eora nation, on whose lands we meet. We recognise they never ceded sovereignty or authority to any state or corporate entity. Those of us who are not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander live, work and play on stolen land, born of genocide and currently a white extremist state.

COMMUNITY
This is a safer spaces gig, where performers are respected and given space to speak the work that matters to them. No tolerance for nonsense: we will be there looking out. If you need some support or want to check in with us, please see our team.

THE RED RATTLER
This community venue is a supporting partner of Word in Hand and we gratefully credit their role in this gig. The Rat supports many grassroots ventures in the area and we’re proud to be part of their program.

THE VENUE
The Red Rattler has a wide, flat entry and a wheelchair-accessible bathroom. There will be drinking water and fans, and if you need assistance getting to / through the gig, please contact us in advance or see crew on the night. We can reserve lounges up the front for better vision / mobility access if you need it. The venue has gender-neutral bathrooms and all genders of story-lovers are welcome. More info on access: https://wordinhand.com.au/access

PODCAST
We now have a monthly podcast, featuring performance recordings, artist interviews and more! Listen for free on iTunes, Spotify and here: https://wordinhand.com.au/podcast

CONTACT
For any questions about the show, contact Word in Hand. If you’re experiencing financial hardship and can’t access the cost of a ticket, please get in touch!