SLACK WATER
[OutWord Reading Series]
By Nelle Tankus
WHEN: June 19th at 7:00 PM
WHERE: ClearStory Arts (1673 S Holtzclaw Ave, Chattanooga)
Event Overview:
Kick off the OutWord LGBTQ+ Play Reading Series with Slack Water by Nelle Tankus — an intimate, stripped-bare night of bold queer storytelling, community, and conversation. Hosted by Obvious Dad in partnership with the Chattanooga Queer Empowerment Collective at ClearStory Arts, this laid-back reading invites audiences to gather, listen, and reflect together in a welcoming, low-pressure space. Bring a friend, pull up a chair, and stay after the reading for a casual conversation with the artists and audience.
About the Play: Semmie, an elder trans woman, is pregnant — and she wasn’t yesterday. Demanding a natural birth or nothing, her children Pearl and Marge are forced to care for her out of fear for her life. As the hospital begins to flood and the lives they’ve built and rebuilt are lost to sea, this strange kind of family must permanently redefine their relationships.
Tender, mythic, and surreal, Slack Water explores love, identity, and care at the edge of catastrophe.
Details:
📅 Thursday, June 20
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 ClearStory Arts, 1673 S Holtzclaw Ave, Chattanooga
🎟 Free and open to the public
💬 Talkback to follow the reading
Community Partners
Featuring:
Pearl: Isa Boose (she/her)
Semmie: Brianna Haley (she/her)
Marge: Mixy Mixon (they/them)
Creative Team:
Director: Blake Harris
Producer: Robbie Seaman
Marketing: Helia Quhite