This powerful conference brings together writers, storytellers, performers, musicians, educators, activists, healers, health professionals, community leaders, and more! Together we explore the written, spoken and sung word, seeking to find how it can bring liberation, celebration, and transformation to individuals and communities.
Session Descriptions
Thursday, September 26, 2024PRE-CONFERENCE POET LAUREATI A Celebration with Midwest Poets Laureate: Huascar Medina, Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Eric McHenry, Maryfrances Wagner
You had me at Poet Laureati. Register me now! Friday, September 27, 2024MORNING PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS Marianela Medrano - Mindful Writing for Transformative Grief
Marianela Medrano: Marianela Medrano was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and has lived in the United States since 1990. A poet and a writer of nonfiction and fiction, she holds a PhD in psychology. Her poetry has been translated into Italian and French. She is a faculty mentor for the PhD program in Visionary Practice and Regenerative Leadership at South Western College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her individual publications include: Oficio de Vivir (Buho,1986), Los Alegres Ojos de la Tristeza ( Buho,1987), Regando Esencias/ The Scent of Waiting (Alcance,1998), Curada de Espantos (Torremozas, 2002), Diosas de la Yuca, (Torremozas, 2011), Prietica (Alfaguara, 2013). Rooting (Owlfeather Collective, 2017). Website,LinkedIn, Facebook,Youtube, Instagram. Exodus Brownlow – Writing Strictly from The Imagination: Giving a Voice to Those Literally Without and How Deeply Sitting with the Inanimate Teaches Us the True Complexities About The World![]() Exodus Brownlow: Exodus Oktavia Brownlow is a writer, editor, seamstress and budding beekeeper currently residing in the enchanting pine tree forest of BlackHawk, Ms. Her books include I'm Afraid That I Know Too Much About Myself Now, To Go Back To Who I Knew Before, And Oh Lord, Who Will I Be After I've Known All That I Can,and Look at All The Little Hurts of These Newly-Broken Lives and The Bittersweet, Sweet and Bitter Loves. You may find her, and more of her work at exodusoktaviabrownlow.com. AFTERNOON PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS Glenn North - Writing to Repair: A Restorative Poetics Workshop - Special Field Trip!
Glenn North is the Director of Inclusive Learning and Creative Impact at the Kansas City Museum. He received an MFA in Creative Writing from UMKC and is the author of City of Song, a collection of poems inspired by Kansas City’s rich jazz tradition. He is a Cave Canem fellow, a Callaloo creative writing fellow and a recipient of the Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Award. His ekphrastic and visual poems have appeared in art exhibitions at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the American Jazz Museum, and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. Glenn is also an adjunct English professor at Rockhurst University and is currently filling his appointment as the Poet Laureate of the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District. Website, Documentary, Instagram, Twitter. Ada Cheng – In the Service of Community: Weaving Art, Love, and Hope to Create Intimate Spaces
Dr. Ada Cheng, an educator-turned artist, producer, speaker, and community builder, has utilized storytelling to illustrate structural inequities, raise critical awareness, and build intimate communities. Committed to amplifying and uplifting marginalized voices, she has created numerous storytelling platforms for BIPOC and LGBTQIA community members to tell difficult and vulnerable stories. Dr. Cheng has been a speaker for Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau since 2019. She has been named 2023-24 Lund-Gill Chair in the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences at Dominican University. Her interests encompass academia, storytelling/performance, and advocacy. Website, Instagram. EVENING CONFERENCE OPENING SESSION Marianela Medrano - Embodiment of Interbeing Through Mindful WritingMindful Writing, a practice that allows us to connect to the present moment without judgment, offers a unique path to break free from our emotional and mental 'stuckness' and experience a renewed sense of being. This approach is deeply rooted in the concept of interbeing, a doctrine formulated by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. Interbeing, as he explains, is our constant interconnectedness, a state where there is no independent self-the perception of self, of 'me,' of 'mine' is an illusion. "Interbeing": if we combine the prefix "inter- "with the verb "to be," we have a new verb, inter-be. (from the Heart of Understanding"). At the heart of MW is the intention to free ourselves from unnecessary suffering by seeing the interconnection of everything and grasping our shared humanity. Through MW, we explore the generative power of silence and somatic awareness to guide us toward a sense of wholeness, harmony, and joy as we understand our place in "the family of things," as Mary Oliver puts it. MW releases perfectionism around writing and explores our authentic voice. It creates conditions to embrace the present moment without judgment, trusting the knowledge of our bodies, feelings, and minds. Marianela Medrano was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and has lived in the United States since 1990. A poet and a writer of nonfiction and fiction, she holds a PhD in psychology. Her poetry has been translated into Italian and French. She is a faculty mentor for the PhD program in Visionary Practice and Regenerative Leadership at South Western College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her individual publications include: Oficio de Vivir (Buho,1986), Los Alegres Ojos de la Tristeza ( Buho,1987), Regando Esencias/ The Scent of Waiting (Alcance,1998), Curada de Espantos (Torremozas, 2002), Diosas de la Yuca, (Torremozas, 2011), Prietica (Alfaguara, 2013). Rooting (Owlfeather Collective, 2017). Website,LinkedIn, Facebook,Youtube, Instagram. Vi Tran - ConcertVi Tran approaches songwriting as archaeology. Join him on a journey from his native Vietnam to the high plains of southwestern Kansas. Through his music, Vi excavates his family’s refugee story, examines the nature of liminal identity, and transforms what seems broken into something beautiful.
Saturday, September 28, 2024Nature Walk - Ken Lassman
WORKSHOP SESSION 1: FIVE CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS 1A: It’s Not Just Play: Whole-Body Narrative for Marginalized Voices - Meghann Perry, Elizabeth Addison
Meghann Perry is a Storyteller, Theatre Educator, Curriculum Designer and Addiction Recovery Coach. She’s been creating innovative learning and performance experiences blending Theatre, Storytelling, and Coaching for the last nine years. Meghann is a global speaker and storytelling coach and creator of two groundbreaking programs, Recovery Storytelling and Embodied Storytelling. She is the founder of Meghann Perry Group and leads a team of talented, dedicated facilitators offering revolutionary, inclusive arts-based wellness programs for marginalized voices. Website, Facebook, LinkedIn
1B: Where’s the Money, Honey?: The Art of Bringing Home the Bacon - Kathryn Lorenzen, Caryn Mirriam-GoldbergCome unpack the challenges that many of us often have in pricing and charging for our services, overcoming cultural myths around money, and embracing practical strategies with mindset and language to build confidence in talking about money. Learn from the experience of three arts and business pros as well as other attendees, bring your questions, and engage in this exploration of making friends with your worth and your compensation.
1C: That Reminds Me of a Story - Lewis Mehl-Medrona and Barbara Mainguy
1D: The Power of Our Words For Civic Engagement - Brittany Crabtree & Chris Kempke
Brittany Crabtree is the Executive Director of the Missouri Community Service Commission. As an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps alum, she has a passion for helping people connect and communicate with one another. Chris Kempke is the Cultural Community Development Director at Missouri Humanities. He is an 8-year veteran of Community Development work and is dedicated to fostering community growth and resilience. 1E: Finding the Voice of Our Bodies Through Poetry - Shelby Jordan
Shelby Jordan is a recent college graduate, and up-and-coming poet from the Midwest. Shelby's philosophy in life has always been to serve others, and the community she lives in. This is especially applicable to the population of those struggling with an eating disorder. Shelby published her debut poetry book, The Bending and The Breaking (And Everything In-Between) just over one year ago. Shelby hopes to become a therapist specializing in eating disorder recovery. Instagram AFTERNOON KEYNOTE PERFORMANCES Exodus Brownlow – "You Mold Your M's Like Soft Mounds, and I Sharpen My M's Like Pointed Mountains, But Maybe We Could Meet in The Middle and Make a Smooth Hill?"
Exodus Brownlow: Exodus Oktavia Brownlow is a writer, editor, seamstress and budding beekeeper currently residing in the enchanting pine tree forest of BlackHawk, Ms. Joy Zimmerman – Hear Our Voices ConcertIn this time of personal and global challenge, our voices can bind us together. Joy will share songs of hope, struggle, and community building from her most recent album, "Where the Light Lives." You are warmly invited to dive in, reflect, and sing along. Joy Zimmerman cultivates joy as a touring folk singer-songwriter with a clear, rich voice. A former social worker, Joy brings audiences powerful, tender songs. Her two most recent albums debuted as Top Ten Albums of the Month on the Folk Alliance International (FAI) Folk Chart. Joy has received an Artist as Activist grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance, ten Walnut Valley Music Festival NewSong Showcase wins, and Heartland Song Network Artist of the Month. You will often find Joy hiking in the woods with her wife or writing songs on her screened porch. Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Know you want to come? Register now! WORKSHOP SESSION 2: FIVE CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS 2A: Theatre for All: Inclusion, Sharing Talents, and Championing Disability Justice - Wilbur Neuschwander-Frink
Wilbur Neushwander-Frink (she/they) is a playwright, founding member and Executive Director of Open Arts Minnesota- a non-profit dedicated to the mission of providing inclusive theatrical opportunities for people with disabilities. Wilbur has over 30 years of experience working as an ally in Minnesota’s Disability Justice Movement. Her primary work in this movement is devising/co-creating original plays based on the ideas and concerns of the members of the various groups served by Open Arts Minnesota.The plays focus on issues of disability such as accessibility and inclusion in community. The plays are also adapted so all members can participate and share their gifts and talents. Wilbur works with three community theatre groups in SW Minnesota and also offers virtual activities. Website, Facebook. 2B: Words of Power, Enriching CommUNITY - Alec Esparza
Alec Esparza, MA, Retired, has 30 years of experience utilizing the cultural folk arts of storytelling, altar making ofrenda’s, adventure learning and re-entry programming in collaboration with families, community partners and organizations throughout California and other states. His approach to embracing healing, social transformation and community wellness is to create sacred space to inspire experiential critical thinking activities and processes that enhance facing life’s challenges on life’s terms with greater strength, understanding and wisdom. https://www.ozocommunity.com 2C: Reclaiming Your Story: Writing Memoir, Mental Health, and the Body - Jane Hseu, Kimberly Gomes, Danielle BainbridgeOur panel Reclaiming Your Story focuses on the question: how do you narrate our journeys with mental health, trauma, and healing through essays and memoir? Each writer (Danielle Bainbridge, Jane Hseu, and Kimberly Gomes) will explore this theme through personal writing, performance, and Q & A with the audience. Viewers will leave the session empowered to tell their own story through the memoir form, as well as access the healing properties of personal writing.
2D: Close Encounters: When Poetry Intersects With the Healing Power of Nature - Julie Martin
A poet and a public school teacher, Julie Martin has made a career of nurturing creativity in others. Drawing inspiration from the environment, her poems invite the reader to join her in discovering all that is hidden in plain sight. Julie’s poetry has been widely published in literary journals, and she frequently joins other poets in giving readings in Minnesota and beyond. She is currently working on her first collection of poetry, Homespun Alchemy, about the power of place at home, in the backyard, and beyond. Website, Instagram. 2E: Better Together: Collaborating in the Arts - Olive SullivanConsider the possibilities for collaborating with other artists to share your writing, storytelling, music, or other forms of TLA. After a discussion on collaboration, Olive will share her experience in creating a play -- blending ballet, poetry, traditional theater, and music -- that gave her new ways to share her story of navigating cancer and re-envisioning survival. We'll then engage in writing prompts to discover and discuss collaborative possibilities with other artists. Olive L. Sullivan has been writing and telling stories since she could talk. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Stonecoast and has taught classes in topics ranging from community journalism to creative writing. She enjoys mentoring students of all ages, supporting their dreams with her own drive and vision. Her book Wandering Bone (Meadwolark Press, 2017) was published during the five months she spent in a locked isolation ward being treated for Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Her second book, Skiving Down the Bones (Meadowlark Press, 2022), deals with themes of illness, grief, and loss. She is a member of the Transformative Arts Network and The Dramatists Guild of America. She is listed on the Kansas Touring Artists Roster. A version of this presentation was given at the Missouri Poetry Society annual meeting in 2023. Facebook, Making Beautiful Books. WORKSHOP SESSION 3: FIVE CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS 3A: My Tree Called Life: Writing and Living Through Serious Illness – Caryn, John Swainston, Kimberly Deeken, Lou Eisenbrandt, Maggie Mosher, Michelle Finnerty, Kim PhillipsHow do we live with heart and wisdom when faced with serious illness as a patient, survivor, or caregiver? Come hear Kansas Citians who write through cancer, Parkinson’s, heart disease, and other challenges at Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg’s writing workshops at Turning Point share -- through their writing and insights – how they embrace their tree of life, no matter the growing conditions. In this narrative medicine session, we’ll also do a short writing prompt and discuss starting and sustaining such workshops.
Kimberly Deeken is a mother, poet, lover of learning and registered nurse. As a critical care nurse for 18 years and a neurological disorder survivor of 26 years she has seen recovery from both sides. She believes deeply in the power of poetry to connect , decompress and heal the stress inherent in this wonderfully chaotic life we all share.
3B: Seeking Soul Through Nature and Poetry- Bobbie Jo Morrell
Bobbie Jo Morrell lives in Colorado, has a Master’s degree in Counseling and is a Certified Spiritual Director. Her spiritual path has led through participating in and leading reflective writing workshops and contemplative practice groups, hiking and backpacking in the Rocky Mountains – including solo backpacking sections of the Colorado Trail. She is currently counseling and leading small groups and workshops in reflective writing. Website 3C: Writing Monologues for Healing & Transformation: Making the Leap from Page to Stage - Kelly DuMar
Kelly DuMar is a poet, playwright and workshop facilitator from Boston. She’s author of four poetry collections, including jinx and heavenly calling, published by Lily Poetry Review Books in March 2023. Kelly teaches a variety of creative writing workshops, in person and online, and she teaches Play Labs for the International Women’s Writing Guild and the Transformative Language Arts Network. Kelly produces the Featured Open Mic for the Journal of Expressive Writing. Website, @kellydumar on Twitter and Instagram. 3D: Our Stories in a Glance: Manhattan Community Video-Portraits - Amy Gross
Amy Gross is a facilitator, story catcher and story teller. After a career in leadership development, she was given the unexpected gift of a professional pause and practiced simply being and not constantly doing. She rediscovered her hidden dream of writing and her passion for guiding others to discover their own spark and to chase their dreams of “someday.” A Nebraska native, she earned her Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Kansas State University.Manhattan Community Portrait, Someday Now Substack. AFTERNOON IMMERSIONS: Music, Story, or Energy Ohhh...immersions! Time to register. Notorious Chorus: Power of Words in Harmony – Beth Watts Nelson
Beth Watts Nelson is a Kansas City based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and choral music educator. In addition to solo and duo performances, she can be heard in several projects throughout the Kansas City area including Konza Swamp Band, Catgut, and her latest endeavor, Little Miss Dynamite. Building upon a twenty-year career in music education she is now the founder and director of Notorious Chorus, a community-based, group singing workshop for adults. Beth holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Kansas State University and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. Her songwriting awards include the Walnut Valley Festival NewSong Showcase, the John Hartford Memorial Festival Songwriting Contest and the Ozark Mountain Soul Songwriting Competition. Beth is a 2023 recipient of the ArtsKC Inspiration Grant and a 2024 inductee of the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Touring Roster. bethwattsnelson.com. The Great Migration: A Daughter Makes Her Bones - Oyah
Oyah! Beverly A. Scott is a talented writer, poet, and social activist. Her unique style of writing is characterized by its rhythmic and melodic voice, which has captivated audiences across the country. Her poetry has been read by two presidents, and she has been recognized for her contributions and activism in Black Chicago’s literary, womanist, and other communities. She has worked with Queen Mother Dr. Margaret Burroughs, Pulitzer Prize in Poetry winner Gwendolyn Brooks, MacArthur Fellow Dr. Sokoni Karanja, and former President Barack Obama as a founding member of the Lugenia Burns Hope Institute for Community Organizing. She served as Consulting Producer on a Discovery Network docuseries covering the murders of Black Women on Chicago’s South and West Side. Beverly (Oyah) A Scott served as Community News Editor for the legendary Black Newspaper The Chicago Daily Defender and was a contributor to Ethan Michaeli’s award-winning book The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America. She is the founder of the Heart & Soul Garden, a nonprofit organization that empowers women and girls through spiritual, cultural, and creative programs and events. (Oyah) Beverly A. Scott is a graduate of Goddard College “22”. She is the mother of five, grandmother of three, and happily married to Col. Eugene F. Scott (Ret). They reside in the south suburbs of Chicago with their Labrador Roxy Hart. Instagram, Facebook Reiki for TLA: Changing the World from the Inside Out - Ashley Barnes
Ashley Barnes is a multi-passionate creative, neurodivergent L&D leader, holistic coach, poetry author, and Reiki Master/Teacher. And she loves cats. As a writer, she believes in the transformational power of words to create powerful shifts and give voice to those who feel voiceless. Working with individuals and organizations, she develops and facilitates human-centric strategies to empower personal growth & foster creative well-being solutions. To learn more about Ashley, visit her website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or Tiktok. EVENING KEYNOTE PERFORMANCES Glenn North - "To Make a Poet Black and Bid Him Sing"
Glenn North is the Director of Inclusive Learning and Creative Impact at the Kansas City Museum. He received an MFA in Creative Writing from UMKC and is the author of City of Song, a collection of poems inspired by Kansas City’s rich jazz tradition. He is a Cave Canem fellow, a Callaloo creative writing fellow and a recipient of the Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Award. His ekphrastic and visual poems have appeared in art exhibitions at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the American Jazz Museum, and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. Glenn is also an adjunct English professor at Rockhurst University and is currently filling his appointment as the Poet Laureate of the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District. Website, Documentary, Instagram, Twitter. Ada Cheng - "Speaking in Tongues: Three Tales in Our Troubling Time"
Dr. Ada Cheng, an educator-turned artist, producer, speaker, and community builder, has utilized storytelling to illustrate structural inequities, raise critical awareness, and build intimate communities. Committed to amplifying and uplifting marginalized voices, she has created numerous storytelling platforms for BIPOC and LGBTQIA community members to tell difficult and vulnerable stories. Dr. Cheng has been a speaker for Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau since 2019. She has been named 2023-24 Lund-Gill Chair in the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences at Dominican University. Her interests encompass academia, storytelling/performance, and advocacy. Website, Facebook,Instagram. Sunday, September 29, 2024Nature Walk - Ken Lassman
WORKSHOP SESSION 3: FIVE CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS 4A: What's Going On: Music for Personal & Community Transformation - Joy Zimmerman
Joy Zimmerman cultivates joy as a touring folk singer-songwriter with a clear, rich voice. A former social worker, Joy brings audiences powerful, tender songs. Her two most recent albums were #6 and #8 Albums of the Month on the Folk Alliance International (FAI) Folk Chart. Joy has received an Artist as Activist grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance, ten Walnut Valley Music Festival NewSong Showcase wins, and Heartland Song Network Artist of the Month. Website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Patreon 4B: Activating your Family Archive - Amanda Lacson
Amanda Faye Lacson is a Filipina-American writer, photographer and historian. Her work, both personal and community-oriented, is centered on exploring how our identities are shaped, how they impact the way we move in the world, and how we write our history. She aims to bring forward voices that have been less-studied through creative nonfiction and playwriting; photography that documents the artistic process at work; oral history-oriented podcast interviewing; and community-based workshops for the family historian. amandafayelacson.com; familyarchivebusiness.com; @amandafayelacson on FB & Instagram 4C: Speaking Up for Themselves Through Barrier-Free Theatre - Sally Bailey and Elise Kellogg and Merri BorkOne community that rarely has a chance to speak up and be heard in most societies are the adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). They are often not given credit for having plans, ideas, or incredible imaginations. This session will share how actors in the Barrier-Free Theatre of Manhattan, Kansas, are engaging their imagination through improvisation to create their own play which is performed in each spring.
4D: The Art (and Artifice) of Your Inner Critic - Judy Brenneman
Judy Fort Brenneman is a story meddler, award-winning author and playwright, occasional poet, and through her company, Greenfire Creative, LLC a long-time writing coach and retreat leader with expertise in helping writers who have interesting neurologies. Her work has appeared in everything from literary magazines to museum exhibits, books, and stage plays. She’s especially interested in the role of writing, story-making, and creativity in human resilience. Website, Facebook (Judy), Facebook (Greenfire Creative), LinkedIn, BKSY CONFERENCE CLOSING SESSION Our closing session brings us together to witness one another's discoveries and collectively behold the meaning, transformation, inspiration, and joy of the conference. In addition to coming together in respect and appreciation to speak what has moved us about the conference, we'll also enjoy the soulful music of singer-songwriter Kathryn Lorenzen. Together, we'll create our best ways to carry our experience, questions, ideas, and new understandings home. Kathryn Lorenzen
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