How do we render space and beauty for ourselves out of the English language’s colonial landscape? How can prayer be a place to “shape God [and] shape change” (adrienne maree brown with Octavia Butler)? In this workshop, Micah Rosegrant and Nico Pang will invite participants into their practice of trans-affirmative spirituality, and then together everyone will explore poetry and spoken word as sites for imagining queer and trans futures.
No experience required; all experience welcome. Come with a way to write (pen and paper, typing device, voice and recorder) and an openness to discovery. This event centers 2S&trans+ beings, while inviting and welcoming all.
Guided by Micah Rosegrant and Nico Pang
Presented in collaboration with Luya
*Named after art by féi hernandez and SA Smythe
Micah Rosegrant
Micah Rosegrant (they/them) nurtures divinity to mother liberated futures for queer and trans peoples. They emerge beauty out of the english language’s colonial landscape, centering breath / memory / space in all they do. They are an Artist in Community Fellow at Arts Connect International, and their writing is published in The Wave, HowlRound Theatre Commons, CONSTRUCT zine, and The Margins. They craft art for healing with communities including Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston (AATAB), The Theater Offensive, Pao Arts Center, Company One, and StageSource. Photo: Meghan Cronin
Nico Pang
Nico Pang (they/them) is a poet, playwright, and facilitator who writes and organizes for joy, healing, and collective liberation. Born in the Year of the Dog like their grandmother, Nico blends art forms to interrogate ancestry, queerness, belonging, and the ways we make and unmake family. Nico is a member of the Asian American Playwright Collective and was part of Company One’s Season 21 PlayLab Unit. They facilitate workshops for youth and adults on writing, identity exploration, and equity.
Luya
Luya is a Chicago-based poetry organization that uplifts the voices and experiences of people of color. Luya (Tagalog for “ginger”) is used as both a spice and a remedy across many cultures, and we bring this spirit of nourishment and healing to every workshop, performance, and open mic space we create. We believe deeply in using poetry to bring communities of color together, to build solidarity around the issues that are important to us, and to reclaim our cultures and histories.
Photo of Micah: Meghan Cronin.