Do The Work/Shop
A four-week workshop taught by Megan Pillow and Roxane Gay
Recently, Meg Pillow and I wrote and published a book called Do The Work to help people better understand power and how it shapes our lives and communities. The book offers a useful framework for people who are looking to improve their knowledge and understanding of power dynamics and their relationship with social justice issues and for people interested in becoming involved with local organizing efforts in their community but aren’t sure where to begin.
The book is a start, but we’d like to take these ideas beyond the page, especially because it’s election season and many of us want more to do than simply voting. In September, we are hosting “Do The Work/shop,” a four-week online workshop using the book as our guide.
Over the course of two-hour workshop sessions (via Zoom) on September 8, 14, 21, and 28, (2 to 4 pm EST) we’ll think and write and talk together, in both large groups and in small breakout sessions. We’ll explore different definitions of power, think through how power manifests in various aspects of our lives, and share exercises that help us identify our own sources of privilege and power. You’ll be part of a community learning together how to disrupt power imbalances and reclaim power; by the end of the workshop, you’ll also hear about what it takes to start and sustain a community project from someone who is doing that work, and you’ll construct an individual action plan for how you can be a source of power, strength, and care for your community, both in the days leading up to the election and well beyond. Hopefully, together, we can become more supportive, aware, and community-minded collaborators, both in our own lives and in organizing spaces we decide to enter.
Participants will receive a copy of Do the Work and a list of recommended readings available in various online forms. Paid subscribers to The Audacity will receive a 40% discount on the registration fee and you all can find your discount code after the paywall.
Registration for the workshop closes on Monday, September 2nd to ensure we get the book to you in time. You can sign up for individual weeks as well if you can only attend some of the dates.
Starting in January, we will be offering regular writing workshops and classes, so stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, we can’t wait to spend September with you!
If you have any questions about the workshop, please e-mail Megan Pillow at meg@roxanegay.com.
Four-week Do the Work/Shop: $199
SCHEDULE
WEEK ONE
September 8 (Sections 1 and 2 - what is power and who gets to have power?)
WEEK TWO
September 14 (Section 3 - what affects a person’s power?)
WEEK THREE
September 21 (Section 4 - what can we do about power?)
WEEK FOUR
September 28 (Section 5 - how can you empower others?)