Behind every social injustice story lies the possibility for change. In an era of media over-saturation, divisiveness, and declining humaneness, a well-told story has the power to inspire and induce action. But how do we write such testimonies? How do we activate a jaded public?  

Please join us for a free poetry workshop at SBMLC.  After a tour of the Museum’s current exhibition Flight & Hope, participants will discuss the themes presented and explore how they would present their own experiences of trauma, displacement, hope, and/or survival.

November 9, 2023, 5:30-7:30 PM - Dr. Todd Robinson, will focus on elegy and survival, open and free to the public (20 participants max).

November 16, 2023, 5:30 - 7:30 PM - Sharmila Seyyid, will focus on writing and reading for recovery, open and free to the public (20 participants max).

November 30, 2023, 5:30-7:30 PM - Dr. Lisa Fay Coutley will focus on women who are trauma survivors affected by sexual violence, harassment, stalking, body violence, domestic violence, and more. (20 participants max).

December 2, 2023, 2:00 PM - a free, public reading with all three facilitators, open and free to the public (75 participants max).

Participants will explore the transformative power of language and how written testimony allows others to understand what they have lived through or witnessed.