Workshops and Topics
 

• The Limitations of Representation – This presentation poses the questions: can visibility, based as it is in a notion of shared humanity, work for those who aren’t seen as fully human? What if the many campaigns rooted in drawing power from visibility, such as the campaign for marriage equality, benefit those most closely associated with humanity under a hegemonic society (i.e. white, male, cisgender and affluent)? What if they do little for Black queer communities still ravaged by more pressing concerns like HIV and homelessness epidemics, while also actually reinforcing the violence facing us? What if Black queer folks making ourselves “seen” to a hostile state provides yet another opportunity for our bodies to be further criminalized?
   

• What Are You Abolishing?: Prison/Police Abolition in Action: This talk/workshop poses questions centered around the notion and practice of abolition. Why is prison and police abolition necessary? How do we enact abolition on a practical, everyday level? What are alternative ways to provide safety? In a world rife with anti-Blackness, white-supremacy, and queer antagonism, the question "What are you abolishing?" is as much a call to arms as it is an inquiry.
   

• Beyond Ally Politics – This workshop discusses the ways attempts to perform allyship sometimes harms marginalized groups, and offers tools and techniques for avoiding these pitfalls. How do we address savior complexes and prevent causes from being co-opted? How much space should "allies" occupy in our movements? How do we move beyond performative allyship?
   

• ​"Word to Everything..." A Workshop for Black CNF Writers in the Digital World – This series is an opportunity for Black writers to hone their skills in the genre of creative nonfiction, while also preparing them for the predominantly white publishing world. The series will touch on topics such as the Fundamentals of Pitching, Essay Writing in Digital Spaces 101, Managing Black Radical Politics in the Anti-Black Publishing World, How to Maintain the Integrity of your Experience While Never Neglecting your Creativity, and more. It is an opportunity for both emerging and seasoned Black writers to further develop their storytelling abilities through group discussion, writing exercises, and individual assignments.