The Public Self: Citizen As Change Agent

February 4, 2021

Workshop: 12:30-1:30., Webinar Session - Register Here

Oftentimes, the world feels like a dark place, scarier than we could have ever imagined, tougher than we know to navigate. More often than not, however, conquering requires us to take a route contrasting our horror. For example, in order to slay Medusa, Perseus did not look directly into the monster’s eyes, but instead, used a mirror and reflection to map his triumph. As writers, we often engage traumatic or troubling experiences that require us to dig close to the bone, dive directly into the dark. In this writing workshop, participants will explore lightness as a tool, framework and pedagogy. Inspired by a lecture from Italo Calvino and using the work of Natalie Diaz and Chrysanthemum Tran, participants in this generative workshop will write poems that use lightness as an imaginative tool to enter and exit the poem. In doing so, we’ll discover what happens when we reconfigure lightness as a lens into our dystopia.

Poetry Reading: 4:30-6 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here

Porsha Olayiwola, is a writer, performer, educator and curator who uses afro-futurism and surrealism to examine historical and current issues in the Black, woman, and queer diaspora. Her poetry and performances as well as her activist work around poetry and art has earned her position as the poet laureate of Boston. She will be performing poetry from her book, I Shimmer Sometimes, Too.

Olivia A. Davidson Voices of Color Lecture: Eddie Moore "America is Changing: Are You Ready?"
February 17, 2021, 4:30-6 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here

The keynote will challenge the audience to examine and explore issues related to bias, privilege, supremacy and belief systems. Additionally, we learn how to take action against individual and systemic bigotry, privilege and oppression. We need #MooreLeaders committed to justice, equity and change across America. Are you ready? Now Is The Time for us to be #MooreWoke and #MooreFocused on inspiring #MooreGoodTrouble.

Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. has pursued and achieved success in academia, business, diversity, leadership and community service. In 1996, he started America & MOORE, LLC to provide comprehensive diversity, privilege, leadership and #BecomingAntiRacist training/workshops. Dr. Moore is recognized as one of the nation’s top speakers and educators. His interview with Wisconsin Public Radio won the 2015 Wisconsin Broadcasters Association's Best Interview in Medium Market Radio, 1st Place, he is featured in the film “I’m not Racist….Am I?” and in the article "5 Clear Ways to Tell Whether You'll Be a Good Leader in 2021." Dr. Moore was recently named one of Wisconsin's 51 Most Influential Black Leaders and he is also the Founder/Program Director for the national/international White Privilege Conference (WPC). In 2014, Dr. Moore founded The Privilege Institute (TPI) which engages people in research, education, action and leadership through workshops, conferences, publications and strategic partnerships and relationships.

This event is co-sponsored by Arts & Ideas and the Center for Inclusive Excellence.

(Un)Documents: A Solo Theater Performance by Jesús Valles
February 24, 2021, 4:30-6 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here

In their acclaimed solo show, (Un)Documents, award-winning actor and poet Jesús I. Valles journeys across both sides of a river with two names, moving between languages to find their place in a nation that demands sacrifice at the altar of citizenship. In doing so, they create a new kind of documentation written with anger and fierce love.

Always Faithful ... to What? A Woman Veteran Writes about Coming of Age in the Marine Corps
March 1, 2021, 4:30-6 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here

In her memoir Fidelis, Teresa Fazio chronicles her deployment to Iraq as a young Marine officer and homecoming as a veteran of an ongoing war. She will explore how she processed her experiences through writing and her work to explore the role of women in the military and public life.

CHALLENGER: Soaring with Christa McAuliffe
March 11, 2021, 5:30-7:30, Webinar Session - Register Here

Who is America's favorite teacher? Ask anyone old enough about Christa McAuliffe and they will tell you exactly where they were when the Challenger shuttle launched; however, few people understand who Mrs. McAuliffe really was. America's Teacher in Space was an educational pioneer and her goals and accomplishments are explored in this performance.

The Linda Vaden-Goad Authors and Artists Series (Spring 2021)
March 30, 2021, 4:30-6 p.m. Webinar Session - Register Here

FSU Professors Joanne Britland, Lina Rincón, and Jenn De Leon will share their most current publications. The poetry anthology The Onion Offering by Javier Alvarado translated by Joanne Britland and Lina Rincón and the essay collection White Space: Essays on Culture, Race and Writing by Jenn DeLeon will be shared with us.

From Theory to Practice: Ethnic Studies to Make a More Just World
April 5, 2021, 4:30-6 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here

The celebrated author of The Borders of Dominicanidad: Race, Nations, and Archives of Contradictions, Dr. Lorgia García Peña is coming to FSU to discuss ethnic studies, empowering students, inclusivity, and social justice. Her talk will also examine structures of higher education that affect students and faculty of color

The 2021 Miriam Levine Reading: Grace Talusan
April 6, 2021, 4:30-6 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here

Author Grace Talusan will read from her memoir The Body Paper. A searing account of childhood sexual abuse, the book also delves into Talusan’s backgroun as a Filipino immigrant and a cancer survivor and the ways in which these experiences are linked by vulnerability and personal strength. Recipient of the 2017 Restless Book Prize for New Immigrant Writing, she teaches in the Boston area.

The Arthur Nolletti Jr. Film Series: Woman at War
April 12, 2021, 7-10 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here

Woman at War (2018) is an Icelandic gem. No one suspects that Halla, a mild-mannered choir-leader, is the eco-terrorist battling corporate greed and government lies. Fueled by her fierce convictions, Halla displays extraordinary ingenuity as a solo crusader for the environment. This is cinematic artistry at its best!

Self-Production as a Form of Development
April 15, 2021, 7-8:30 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here

Self-Production is a creative, community-based urban planning tool. It involves no prior planning, but an effective and spontaneous communication and self-organization system that responds to needs. In Latin America, it has become the most efficient form of housing construction. Cardona will speak about Self-Produced Neighborhoods and analytical research of self-production.

Jeff Sparr: PeaceLove
April 22, 2021, 4:30-6 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here

Jeff Sparr is an advocate, a teacher, and a self-taught artist. Believing in the healing power of creating, Jeff founded PeaceLove to spread peace of mind through expressive arts workshops. Jeff travels the world sharing his story of hope and his vision for a world where every person has the tools to care for their mental health.

Pulitzer Prize Winner Quiara Hudes: My Broken Language
April 26, 2021, 4:30 – 6 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here

Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Hudes will read from her new book, My Broken Language, a coming of age memoir about language and sacred practice in North Philadelphia — aka el barrio — in the 1990s.