Surviving the Mic: How to Make A Brave Space
Starting as 10 week workshop series for spoken word artists who identified as Black, woman and survivors of sexual violence, Surviving the Mic evolved into a groundbreaking survivor-led open mic and workshop series. With an emphasis on writing craft, performance techniques, and history and data as writing prompts, Surviving the Mic is a model for making the arts more accessible for survivors of trauma as tools for healing and expression. This session will highlight the differences between holding safe space and brave space, break down the Surviving the Mic community agreements, and hold space for a discussion with participants on how to center survivors and their work.
- Participants will discuss how the Surviving the Mic methodology was developed by Black, Brown, and LGBTQ survivors of sexual trauma who also navigate disabilities to craft their own brave spaces for writing, performance, and production.
- Participants will use the Surviving the Mic model that merges writing prompts, history, and data to draft their own pieces about navigating sexual violence.
- Participants will use the Surviving the Mic model to hold brave and affirming space for their peers who choose to share what they’ve written.
Ideal audience: those who are and/or work with or want to work with survivors of trauma
Academic Departments: Social Work, Social Services, Women/Gender Studies, Psychology, English, Theater/Performance Studies
Working On Me: A Writer’s Journey
Working On Me is the debut memoir by Nikki Patin. From her naming conventions to the use of persona to explore narratives in the book from different perspectives, Patin’s process for crafting her memoir was highly unconventional. Borrowing from the biomythographical genre innovated by Audre Lorde, Maxine Hong Kingston, Li Young Li, and Joy Harjo, this “world-splitting” book explores everything from Patin’s experience teaching in prisons and jails to family dysfunction to the impact of sexual and domestic violence. In this talk, Patin will discuss her process, reflect on the unreliability of narrators in creative nonfiction, and how we ultimately create our own mythologies within ourselves, our families, and our communities.
Ideal audience: writers, survivors of trauma
Academic Departments: Women/Gender Studies, English, Theater/Performance Studies
The Arrogance to Live
The Arrogance to Live explores what it’s taken to be an artist, advocate, and leader with “survivor” as an ever-present qualifier. A critique of Nikki Patin’s recently released memoir, Working on Me, was that she “sounded arrogant” in her opening chapters. This talk offers the possibility that maybe what is perceived as a negative is actually a radical approach to a world that would see survivors deeply diminished rather than living in their full joy and power. Patin believes that arrogance can be a powerful healing tool for survivors, a way for them to reclaim their power by working to design and implement the way they desire to live.
Ideal audience: those who are and/or work with or want to work with survivors of trauma
Academic Departments: Social Work, Social Services, Women/Gender Studies, Psychology
Operationalizing Human Dignity
As nonprofit leaders and administrators, how do we ensure that our organizational policies reflect our organizational values and mission? From financial policies that are mindful of navigating those in the community who may not have access to traditional banking to HR policies that are trauma-informed and human-centered, managing nonprofit operations with dignity, accessibility, and inclusivity is more critical than ever. For those serving and staffed by communities impacted by systems of harm, how we do our work is as significant as what we do for work. Attendees will hear real-world examples of how innovative operational models can increase productivity, staff retention, and community trust. This session will focus on the power of operations to amplify organizational mission and values.
Ideal audience: Nonprofit Administrators, HR professionals, Executive Directors, Operations Directors, those who are and/or work with or want to work with survivors of trauma
Academic Departments: Social Work, Social Services, Women/Gender Studies, Nonprofit Administration, Human Resources, Nonprofit Management
Bravery Coaching + Consultation
Bravery means feeling scared, but doing it anyway! Are you dreaming of writing that memoir, starting that non-profit, launching that business, or finally getting behind a microphone and in front of audiences? My coaching and consultation sessions are designed to bring out the bravest version of whatever you’re working on. As a writer, performer, producer, designer and non-profit administrator, I’m able to support the development and execution of any community, entrepreneurial, or arts-based project.
Nikki Patin 