A tenuous we
2021 – 2023
Media: Collaborative writing workshop series and Risograph publications.
Supported by The Bows and inspired by the text WE SOLICIT THE DARKNESS by Liz Ikiriko and Anique Jordan (MICE Magazine, Issue Four), A tenuous we is a workshop series that met once a month virtually for two years. Acting as a space for IBPOC to gather and develop their individual practices within a collaborative, non-hierarchical setting, A tenuous we is made up of participants based in so called Canada and the US, including Treaty 6, Treaty 7, and Treaty 9 land, the traditional lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, Stó:lō, Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh, and Kanien’kehá:ka peoples, and the Lenape peoples.
A tenuous we aimed to move past prescriptive narratives, exploring art, social movements, food, intimacy, institutional change, and new methods of collaboration, as well as dismantle colonial influence on our writing as a collective. After working together for two years, we want to share what we’ve learned in the form of eight texts that explore our approach to facilitation and collective writing. We hope these texts will encourage others to create their own non-hierarchical spaces and explore collective text-making in all its forms.
A tenuous we is comprised of Christina Battle, Joni Cheung, Mira Dayal, oualie frost, Steph Wong Ken, Mercedes Webb/Ma̱lidi and Ryley Williams.
Photo Credit: The Bows