Decolonizing Dreams: For BIPOC Creatives

“Word-work is sublime, she thinks, because it is generative; it makes meaning that secures our difference, our human difference – the way in which we are like no other life. We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.” ~ Toni Morrison

“I never want to regret not try something. Its better to try and fail.” ~Hayao Miyazaki

“We must recognize and nurture the creative parts of each other without always understanding what will be created.” ~Audre Lorde

This season we are forming a monthly BIPOC-powered program where creatives of color can workshop their writings, recieve community feedback and encouragement, share their experiences (and aspirations), and build interwoven networks for future projects and collaborations. The series is open to writers, authors, poets, playwrights, oral storytellers (podcastors, youtubers, etc.) and anyone with a passion for decolonizing and reclaiming our magic through word-work. Illustrators and comic artists are also welcome to attend the programs and showcase their comissioned or published peices to prospective partners-in-collaboration.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: While we recognize that the term BIPOC can manifest in a multitude of forms across community spaces, for this BIPOC-curated series, participants must identify as fully or partially (i.e. multiracial) of Black/African, Indigenous, or Aborinigal descent. This group includes folks (folx) who are:

• Indigenous to the Americas, Caribbean or Oceana
• Descendants of Africans trafficked through the Transatlantic Slave Trade
• People of the African descendent; this collective does not include Africans who are [racialized as] white or European
• Afro-Carribean and/or Afro-latinaxo
• Transracial adoptees of African, Caribbean, Indigenous, or Aboriginal descent
• Afroindigenous and/or Black Native Americans
• Multiracial and idenitify as part of the Black/African Diaspora or an Indigenous/Aboriginal community

From the very first rough drafts to publishing-ready pieces, BIPOC folks (folx) interested in exploring the creative process, navigating publishers and editors, bouncing research and rough drafts in group sessions, manifesting projects across different media, or simply nurturing decolonized dreams are welcome in this community garden!