Special Event - 3-Week Series
Black Like Us: Women Writing & Weaving Wisdoms
"...I held an atlas on my lap, /ran my fingers across the whole world, /and whispered, /
‘where does it hurt?’ It answered, everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. ".. Warsan Shire
"My responsibility as a poet, as an artist, is to not look away. " Nikky Finney
“Look how beautifully black we are. And as we dance, I am not Melody who is sixteen, I am not my parents’ once illegitimate daughter – I am a narrative, someone’s almost forgotten story. Remembered.” — Jacqueline Woodson
“All that you touch You Change. All that you Change Changes you. The only lasting truth Is Change.”
― Octavia E. Butler
"Dear Ex Lover, I hope my daughter never knows what a goodbye kiss feels like…/a broken heart feels like poisoned butterflies taking their last flutters in the pit of your stomach..." -Jasmine Mans
The power, the pathos, the poetry, lives laid bare daring to be heard - Black Like Us is an insightful exploration of fiction, nonfiction and poetry as seen through the lens of evolutionary, lesser-known, and contemporary Black women writers. Stimulating exercises, handouts, in-class writing and music inspire you to excavate the intersection of our lives, and deepe your writing arenas. This workshop invites you to share the choreography of creative consciousness with Warshan Shire, Mahogany Brown, Nikky Finney, Jacqueline Woodson, Jasmine Mans, Octavia Butler, Yaa Gyasi, Tracy K. Smith, Taiye Selasi, Stacey Ann Chin, Roxanne Gay, Tananarive Due, and Aja Monet
Dorothy Randall Gray
Author of bestseller Soul Between The Lines (Avon/HarperCollins), inspirational teacher, award-winning visual artist, and LA Poet-in-Residence. Dorothy's publications include Muse Blues, The Passion Collection, Woman, Fierce With Reality, Family, Tamarinda, Sharing the Same Sky, as well as numerous anthologies and literary journals. She is ED of Women Writers & Artists Matrix, former NYU faculty, and Hunter College Poet-in-Residence. Her writing and healing workshops serve professional writers, incarcerated and homeless populations, veterans, at-risk youth, and post graduate students through PEN America, United Nations, Skidmore College, and Columbia University. A global activist, Dorothy changes the world one word at a time. DorothyRandallGray.com
IWWG is delighted to offer its global and social justice workshops at competitive rates with the support of grant funding. All registration fees and other donations support our costs to increase the number and accessibility of these workshops as we strive for inclusivity and reach out to women writers all over the world. Select scholarships are also available. Please contact Michelle@iwwg.org for more information.