VONA!!!! (the sequel)
Donation protected
My loves,
VONA was started in 1999, founded by Elmaz Abinader, Junot Díaz, Victor Díaz and Diem Jones. They wanted to create a space for people of color, to write. They wanted a workshop style environment where the issues facing people of color, and how that translates into art, could be laid bare.
Last year I attended VONA for the first time. It changed my life. Before VONA I'd only written in secret, trying to figure out what it meant to be a writer, and I fumbled along trying to create the kind of literature I'd wanted to read when I was young.
VONA propelled my work. It made me believe, seriously, that I might actually get good at this thing called writing, that it wasn't an obscure pipe-dream, and most importantly, that I had talent (no matter how latent or hidden), that it could be nurtured and trained and that really there's nothing enigmatic about creating art - like everything else in the world, it requires dedication and practice and most importantly, a community who's able to hold you through the learning-process.
I loved my VONA cohort so much I applied again this year, this time to fiction.
And I know we're all strapped for cash at this critical juncture in history - we've been donating time and money to organizations fighting the government, we're fighting to save our communities from constant onslaught, and we've been on the front line for months. Its a rough and tiring time.
But, if you're able to donate, even a little, it would make a big difference, and would help me defer some of the cost (these workshops really get expensive). And, these kinds of experiences, which affirm our "otherness" as something beautiful, as something that needs to be celebrated and given the chance to grow, is yet another way to fight back against white-supremacy.
For those in the Bay Area, we're throwing a little summer party soon-ish! So if you're unable to donate now, come play in the sun with us next month!
~Salima
VONA was started in 1999, founded by Elmaz Abinader, Junot Díaz, Victor Díaz and Diem Jones. They wanted to create a space for people of color, to write. They wanted a workshop style environment where the issues facing people of color, and how that translates into art, could be laid bare.
Last year I attended VONA for the first time. It changed my life. Before VONA I'd only written in secret, trying to figure out what it meant to be a writer, and I fumbled along trying to create the kind of literature I'd wanted to read when I was young.
VONA propelled my work. It made me believe, seriously, that I might actually get good at this thing called writing, that it wasn't an obscure pipe-dream, and most importantly, that I had talent (no matter how latent or hidden), that it could be nurtured and trained and that really there's nothing enigmatic about creating art - like everything else in the world, it requires dedication and practice and most importantly, a community who's able to hold you through the learning-process.
I loved my VONA cohort so much I applied again this year, this time to fiction.
And I know we're all strapped for cash at this critical juncture in history - we've been donating time and money to organizations fighting the government, we're fighting to save our communities from constant onslaught, and we've been on the front line for months. Its a rough and tiring time.
But, if you're able to donate, even a little, it would make a big difference, and would help me defer some of the cost (these workshops really get expensive). And, these kinds of experiences, which affirm our "otherness" as something beautiful, as something that needs to be celebrated and given the chance to grow, is yet another way to fight back against white-supremacy.
For those in the Bay Area, we're throwing a little summer party soon-ish! So if you're unable to donate now, come play in the sun with us next month!
~Salima
Organizer
Salima Hamirani
Organizer
Oakland, CA
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