Cultural Belonging and (Re)Connection Series: What Does “Belonging” Mean at GrubStreet? (VIRTUAL)

Event Description

Please join us this fall as we launch the first installment of our Cultural Belonging and (Re)Connection Series. Through a series of events, we seek to bring our community together to engage in intentional discussions about what belonging looks like for us as individuals, as artists, and as members of the GrubStreet community.

At GrubStreet, we believe that writing is strengthened through meaningful engagement from different perspectives, and that as artists, we should be revising ourselves as much as our work. We are working to create inclusive spaces for writers from all racial and cultural backgrounds, incomes, experiences, abilities, and identities, especially writers from groups who have been historically marginalized in the writing and publishing worlds.

Throughout this journey, we also have grown in our understanding that we as an institution have a responsibility to better reflect our ideal vision for the local literary landscape and beyond. Fully embracing that responsibility requires that we continually take a hard look at ourselves and that we as a GrubStreet community hold each other accountable to our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

We want to hear directly from members of our community about what belonging means to you. To help us create these brave spaces, we are hosting two sessions this November (one virtual and one in-person) to bring our community together for this critical conversation. Each session will include breakout groups and writing prompts facilitated by GrubStreet instructors, a large group share back, and organizational updates on the belonging-related work that we are doing internally. Please note: Registration for the virtual session will close after Sunday, November 6th, but you can still register for the in-person session on November, 15th.

With the input from these sessions, we intend to create a statement of belonging for GrubStreet that provides a shared understanding of the community we seek to create together. Additionally, the insights we gain from our community will help us create clearer community expectations, improve classroom experiences, and enhance our instructor training.

These sessions are part of our ongoing journey together to keep building trust, community, and a true sense of belonging at GrubStreet. Please join us to be a part of this important work.

GrubStreet will provide free food and drinks for the In-Person Session on Tuesday, November 15th and food vouchers for the Virtual Session on Monday, November 7th. Travel vouchers will also be available to cover transportation up to $40 per person/household to make the in-person session as accessible as possible.

Plus, all attendees will receive a free one-year membership to GrubStreet as a thank you for your time and thoughtful feedback.

About the Series

The Cultural Belonging and (Re)Connection Series seeks to bring our community together to engage in meaningful discussions about what belonging looks like for us as individuals, as artists, and as members of the GrubStreet community.

Event Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!