Join our mailing list for information on workshops we have part of our program season. We also provide workshops for institutions and organizations who would like to contract a specific workshop from us. Please contact via email here.

"Reclaim your thunder and your rage!"
-from the poem, "The Summoning of Black Joy" by Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman 
 

In this workshop, writers learn how joy and how one invites it into their life impacts their ability to envision an afro-future of hope and possibility. Through guided writing activities and discussion, writers learn how to build both a joyful life and joyful futures for their literary creations.

This workshop is intended as a professional development course for instructors who teach writing and/or literature in P-12 settings. The workshop engages participants in discussion and activity that identifies ways to engage youth in literary pursuits that include reading about and discussing literary texts by authors who are culturally different or write about characters who are different culturally in any way ranging from ethnicity and religion to nationality and gender.

"Impact Storytelling" is an intensive one-week summer course designed to immerse learners in the art of writing short screenplays or stage plays that captivate audiences and leave a lasting impression. Participants will embark on a fast-paced journey of creativity and collaboration as they develop, write, and film their own short screenplay or present a staged reading of their stage play within a week.

Through hands-on exercises, expert guidance, and practical experience, participants will learn the essential skills and techniques needed to craft compelling narratives for the screen. No filmmaking experience necessary. This course is great for learners interested in participating in a Short Film Project or building their writing muscles in writing short pieces in a short amount of time. We will use smartphones to record our work.

The practice of creative placemaking has traditionally been a concept associated with the industry of architecture and design within urban spaces . This presentation expands on the concept, identifying the ways that communities utilize writing as a bridge to economic empowerment, building awareness of social justice issues, and connecting citizens to educational opportunities. 

Highlighting examples of creative placemaking taking place in predominately Black communities throughout the United States and specifically in Maryland, this presentation identifies the characteristics that indicate the demonstrated benefits of this practice, offering recommendations for implementation by self-producing writers, performing artists and community organizers