February durham3, Saturday the 19th

After a raucous beginning in January, durham3 returns on February 19th with a star-studded event at Durham’s Know Bookstore. Come celebrate February and Black History month, with performance artist Mz. Julee, spoken word artist Carol Lautier, a film by Jason Middleton, musician extraordinaire Brother Yusef Salim and poet, novelist, story-teller, and activist Jaki Shelton Greene. Doors will open at 6 and a vegetarian-friendly soul food buffet will be available for $6.95. The show begins at 7:30pm. There’s no cover and there is a first-come, first served open-mike at the end. The Know Bookstore is located at 2520 Fayetteville Street near downtown Durham. For information, contact Tanya Olson or Amy Nolan at olson@vgcc.edu , amycnolan@hotmail.com , or visit the durham3 blog for further information at http://durham3.blogspot.com. For driving directions see the Know Bookstore’s website at http://www.theknowbookstore.com or call 919-682-7223.

Mz Julee- Mz Julee has been in Raleigh around 3 years pursuing her performance art/spoken word as well as her visual artwork. She is the moderator/organizer for STAMMER!, an event of spoken word. poetry/performance art/film/ music/ playwrights & more, held at Artspace bi-monthly and other venues in between. Check out her website at www.geocities.com/pbqtest for more info.

Carol Lautier- Through her work as a spoken word performer, Carol Lautier composes and presents poetry that celebrates women. Her poems present women’s hurdles with unflinching honesty, and then celebrate women’s triumphs over them. A performance poet since 1999, Carol performs at various poetry venues in the southeast as well as national conferences and fundraising events for organizations that serve women in crisis. As a result of her work with abuse survivors and those in recovery, Carol is the recipient of the 2004 Women's Advocacy Award (sponsored by the Carolina Women's Center.) Carol believes that affirmation and wholeness result from sharing the stories of our lives. Her poetry bears witness to the healing power of the spoken word.

Jason Middleton- Jason Middleton is a Durham resident who has shown films at FreewaterProductions Year End Screening, Glitter Film Nite, Flicker and numerous venues.

Brother Yusef Salim- Durham legend Brother Yusef Salem leads a group of rotating musician at the Know Book stores Jazz night held every Friday. A pianist and composer, he played with Leo Parker in the 1960's and recorded for the Blue Note label.

Jaki Shelton Greene- Jaki Shelton-Greene is a dynamic poet/performer who has published several books: Dead on Arrival, Masks, Dead on Arrival and New Poems, and Conjure Blues. She has also published Blue Opal, a play. Her poems have appeared in Crucible, The African-American Review, Ms and Essence magazines, and Obsidian. A recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature, she is currently compiling a collection of short stories and a poetry manuscript, as well as her first novel. She is an advocate for the voiceless and the arts.

durham3 is a series of multi-media events that bring together a variety of artists. The series is interested in using the physical and psychological thirdspace qualities of Durham to foster collaboration between artistic communities in Durham and the Triangle. Ultimately, this series would also like to aid Durham in defining its own artistic identity. Towards that end, each event will feature poets, performers, spoken words artists, visual artists, musicians, and dancers from across the Triangle. Each event will also highlight an original, collaborative work from 2 or more artists in the Triangle and merchandise from the series, the work of local artists, and a broadsheet featuring the work of that night’s artists will be available at each event.