Some stories are never told. Others are reduced to headlines, statistics, or passing moments in the news cycle. To See and Be Seen is our response.

This year, sisters of the yam Writing Society is launching To See and Be Seen, a public literary salon and communal writing project that explores the ongoing societal neglect and violence affecting Black women through writing, dialogue, and guided reflection. Beginning with a generative writing workshop and continuing through our free Sweet Communion Write-Ins, participants will develop original works that culminate in an interactive public literary salon featuring live readings, facilitated conversation, visual art, and participatory reflection. Rooted in Black feminist intellectual traditions, the project invites writers and community members to engage thoughtfully with themes of visibility, grief, resistance, and care. This work is made possible by the 2026 MidtownHOU Arts Micro Grant Award!

Our first step in this journey is a special writing workshop facilitated by Josie Pickens—writer, professor, cultural strategist, and movement journalist.

Together, we will explore critical fabulation as a creative and liberatory practice for responding to Black femicide—the gender-based killing of Black women and girls within the intersecting systems of racism and sexism that heighten their vulnerability to violence. We will transform rage into epic odes, writing to honor, celebrate, and bear witness to Black women whose lives and stories have too often been overlooked.

Through discussion, reflection, and guided writing prompts, participants will wrestle with grief, love, remembrance, and resistance while imagining fuller stories for Black women affected by violence. This workshop is not about finding easy answers. It is an invitation to write against erasure, affirm the dignity and complexity of Black women's lives, and contribute to a growing body of work that will be shared publicly through To See and Be Seen this fall.

Whether you identify as a poet, essayist, storyteller, or someone simply searching for language, we invite you to join us. Your voice matters, and your words have a place in this communal project.

Registration
We encourage a $20 donation in support of this offering, with a $5 minimum required to register. Please do not let cost be a barrier; please select the Free Registration option if needed. All proceeds go directly to our facilitator.

We hope you'll write with us.

Facilitator Bio:

Josie Pickens is a writer, curator, professor, movement journalist, published essayist, and lifelong lover of stories. She teaches writing and literature, and some of her favorite work happens when she gets to sit in community with other writers, asking big questions, chasing memories, and following unexpected ideas onto the page.

Her essays and cultural commentary have appeared in Essence, Ebony, The Root, Bitch, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The New York Times. Drawn to the ways storytelling can recover what history leaves out, Josie is especially interested in how writers use imagination, research, and creative nonfiction to bring people to life beyond the headlines. She is excited to join this workshop and explore how writing can help us honor Black women, hold complexity, and imagine fuller stories together.

Do you want to work with us? We are open to collaboration and sponsorships. Please email [email protected] for inquiries.

Keep up with us on Instagram @sistersoftheyamhtx and subscribe to our Program Calendar at Luma.com/SOTY

As a reminder, our events are open to the public, and our programs will always prioritize and center the needs of Black women and femmes. Official membership will begin in 2027. In the meantime, we are focused on designing and delivering exceptional programs and opportunities for writers to be in community, To See and Be Seen.

Support our growth by contributing to our foundation-building donation campaign. Donations sustain active programming, provide honoraria to facilitators, cover essential supplies, and support legal and administrative infrastructure, including 501(c)(3) filing.

With gratitude and joy,

Dr. Bernard