the vision

I am currently seeking 6-8 womxn of all ages and ancestries with a strong connection to America— the US or other colonial nations in this hemisphere. Here’s what the work will look like.

  • Where do we start?

    We begin with breath. We come together as a group of womxn and start an open discussion of this question:

    "Having lived in a time as equally complex as now, what would your most gracious and wise female ancestor say to us in this chaotic world we live in?"

  • The Work...

    Through guided meditation and collective prayer, psychodrama exercises, letter writing and poetry prompts, and honest conversation, we will seek the Wild Woman ancestor in all of us who can guide us and impart wisdom on us in the here and now.

    We have two cohort meetings for discussion and two individual meetings each with me for reflection.

  • The Creation

    I write a play interweaving my own reflection process with a story about my own imagined ancestor in the North Carolina Albemarle. Your words become spirits and chorus members for Layla and Elizabeth as they grapple with their own questions about the steep racial karma in this country.

    More about the play

  • The Performance

    We perform a reading of the play in December. You are welcome to partake. Layla and Elizabeth journey through their stories and an audience from the Valley and beyond witness a tale of hope and grief about our American legacy. We host a talkback and reception afterwards.

    The Reading

the play

  • Based on my real ancestors George and Ann Durant and the many powerful rebels of the Albemarle, Elizabeth and Alexander Bosey are powerful leaders in their sphere. Nestled deep within the historical context of Albemarle County, North Carolina in the 1670s, we witness a profoundly political woman take the stage. Elizabeth is active in Native relations in the Albemarle during the Culpeper's Rebellion against tyrannical British governors. The county is a known safe haven for freed slaves, indentured servants and Quakers seeking religious freedom, and they want to keep it that way. Women are encouraged to speak up here. Children are supported. But when Elizabeth witnesses the death of the Yeopim sachem's daughter at the hands of the settlers, her life and world are thrown into chaos.

  • In modern times, searching the eyes, the heart, the soul of the womxn she interviews, Layla, a soon-to-be mother and PhD, searches for the Wild Woman within all of us, working backwards in time through American histories and family lines to the very people her own abandoned. Expecting a mixed race baby she’s unsure she’s ready for, Layla is dedicated to reconciling her family's dark history. When she discovers Elizabeth, it feels like something's opening up. Maybe some of her ancestors do have some wisdom to share.

  • Layla's interviewees are my interviewees and our research into the wisdom of ancestors is the same. Through meditation practices, poetry writing, imaginative storytelling and open conversation, 6-8 womxn and I will work together individually to discover the Wild Woman in all of us, and the womxn ancestors who live in our bones. These womxn will become the spirits and chorus members who guide Layla and Elizabeth throughout the play. Participating artists will receive a $75-$200 stipend and will have the opportunity to perform in the reading of the play in December should they wish.

the performance

December 12th, 2:00pm

Hallie Flanagan Theatre, Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts, Smith College

On December 12th at 2pm we’ll host a reading of the play along with a community talk back and panel discussion with myself and the participating artists. A small reception will be held afterwards in the Green Room.