MJ goes to VONA/Voices Retreat!
Donation protected
"When I first applied to VONA in 2016, I did so with the hopes that it would help me to emulate writers that I admire - Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Audre Lorde, any many others. This year, I apply because I want to write like the best version of myself that is possible."
Dear community, I wrote the above words in my application to the VONA/Voices of Our Nation workshop for writers of color. After several years of applying in a row, I am ecstatic to share that I have been accepted to my first-choice workshop, Memoir with Elmaz Abinader! Those who are close to me know how monumental an opportunity this is to learn from renowned faculty, to study the craft of storytelling, and to connect with a community of writers dedicated to justice and art as resistance.
What I'm working on: In my time at VONA, I plan to focus on a very personal project, Ariel. It is a memoir-inspired fiction novel in which the main character makes sense of their gender, race and identity through childhood, adolescence and adulthood. It is a story about the limitations of binary society, intergenerational trauma and patterns, conflict and relationship turmoil, and reconciliation. Read an excerpt here: https://www.michal-jones.com/blog/ariel-fiction-excerpt
I plan to fully immerse myself into this experience and learn the tools needed to write like the best version of myself, for the communities of which I am a part. I would be so grateful for any support you can give me as I prepare for this incredible experience.
Love,
MJ
Read more about the workshop: https://vonacommunity.org/
Read more of MJ's work: https://www.michal-jones.com/
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Bio: michal mj jones is a black queer, and non-binary writer, activist, educator, and musician living in Oakland, CA. mj is deeply committed to liberation struggles, youth empowerment, intergenerational movement building, and anti-oppressive education. a talented interdisciplinary writer of essay, poetry and prose alike, their work has been featured at Foglifter Press, Everyday Feminism, Black Girl Dangerous, and Wear Your Voice Magazine. mj's words are deeply open and vulnerable, reflect life living at the intersections of identity, and put on display a unique and genuine sense of self-awareness.
Dear community, I wrote the above words in my application to the VONA/Voices of Our Nation workshop for writers of color. After several years of applying in a row, I am ecstatic to share that I have been accepted to my first-choice workshop, Memoir with Elmaz Abinader! Those who are close to me know how monumental an opportunity this is to learn from renowned faculty, to study the craft of storytelling, and to connect with a community of writers dedicated to justice and art as resistance.
What I'm working on: In my time at VONA, I plan to focus on a very personal project, Ariel. It is a memoir-inspired fiction novel in which the main character makes sense of their gender, race and identity through childhood, adolescence and adulthood. It is a story about the limitations of binary society, intergenerational trauma and patterns, conflict and relationship turmoil, and reconciliation. Read an excerpt here: https://www.michal-jones.com/blog/ariel-fiction-excerpt
I plan to fully immerse myself into this experience and learn the tools needed to write like the best version of myself, for the communities of which I am a part. I would be so grateful for any support you can give me as I prepare for this incredible experience.
Love,
MJ
Read more about the workshop: https://vonacommunity.org/
Read more of MJ's work: https://www.michal-jones.com/
------
Bio: michal mj jones is a black queer, and non-binary writer, activist, educator, and musician living in Oakland, CA. mj is deeply committed to liberation struggles, youth empowerment, intergenerational movement building, and anti-oppressive education. a talented interdisciplinary writer of essay, poetry and prose alike, their work has been featured at Foglifter Press, Everyday Feminism, Black Girl Dangerous, and Wear Your Voice Magazine. mj's words are deeply open and vulnerable, reflect life living at the intersections of identity, and put on display a unique and genuine sense of self-awareness.
Organizer
Michal MJ Jones
Organizer
Emeryville, CA