About Me, About You

“I write to record what others erase when I speak, to rewrite the stories others have miswritten about me, about you.” – Gloria Anzaldúa

This generative writing workshop will bring together women of color from diverse backgrounds to write creative prose (fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid forms) rooted in personal experience. Participants will generate new work based on the group’s discussions and reflections on lineage, tradition, and faith. In doing so, the workshop seeks to expand limiting narratives about women of color both within their faith traditions and in American culture broadly. We will gather every day to discuss craft and the creative path, write together based on guided exercises and respond to one another’s work. Part of each day will be set aside for participants to write on their own and some evenings will feature community-building activities.

This workshop will be held from April 22-April 28, 2024 at General Theological Seminary in New York City.

Facilitator bio

Roohi Choudhry was born in Pakistan and grew up in southern Africa and the Middle East. She worked for a decade as a researcher in criminal justice reform, public policy, and community health, and has taught creative writing in drug treatment settings and public libraries as well as to cancer survivors, community activists, and cultural organizers. Awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in 2015, her writing has appeared in Ploughshares, Callaloo, Longreads and the Kenyon Review, among others. An alum of the Collegeville Institute resident scholar program, she holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Michigan and now teaches fiction and memoir in New York City as well as online. Her debut novel, Outside Women, is forthcoming from the University Press of Kentucky. Find out more at brooklynstani.com.

Plan for the Week

Day 1 – Travel Day. Introductions.
Day 2 – Interrogating place and community.
Day 3 – Stories of my faith, stories of me.
Day 4 – Guest artist presentation.
Day 5 – Individual vs. collective storytelling.
Day 6 – Writing from the margins.
Day 7 – Travel Day.

Who May Apply?

• Self-identifying women of color, creative writers (primarily prose) of all levels.
• This workshop is limited to 10 participants.

Application Process:

Applications are no longer being accepted. The deadline was Thursday, December 7.