Every writer has an origin story. So does every reader.

At some point — often quietly, sometimes abruptly — we become aware of our racial and cultural identities. A moment in childhood. A classroom experience. A story that reflected us — or one that didn’t. These early realizations shape not only how we move through the world, but how we interpret it, imagine it, and write it.

This experiential workshop invites participants to return to those formative identity moments and explore how they continue to shape voice, perspective, and expression. Grounded in research on racial and cultural identity development and informed by cultural competency frameworks that move from reflection to awareness to action, the session blends thoughtful context with meaningful engagement.

Participants will move between reflection and conversation, considering the narratives they carry about belonging, difference, and privilege. Together, we will explore how identity lives in memory and in the body — and how revisiting our earliest awareness can deepen the emotional truth of our lives and communities.

Readers will leave with expanded empathy and a sharpened lens for engaging literature across differences.

Come prepared to reflect honestly, listen generously, and explore the moment your story first began to shift.