TKP (Minnesota)
The Kaleidoscope Project is a NICHLOSON + COMPANY initiative that was developed in 2020 in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis and includes virtual workshops that convene creative writers from historically marginalized groups to explore challenges in their communities and new ways forward through poetry, flash fiction, and/or prose.
Informed by principles of Human-Centered Design (an iterative process rooted in building solutions with and not for) TKP seeks to:
- emphasize the role that inter-community solidarity and cultural learning between BIPOC, LGBTQIA and other marginalized communities play in advancing social change
- evolve how discourse about local and national social challenges take place;
- foster the development of an ecosystem in which the literary arts are deemed essential resources for strengthening relations between vulnerable communities locally and around the country
The Kaleidoscope Project (Minnesota) engages creative writers from historically marginalized communities (i.e. BIPOC, LGBTQ, Immigrants, Women, and other disenfranchised groups) in immersive virtual workshops centered on building solidarity and empathy between different communities across the state. The methodology utilizes a human-centered design approach to foster a deeper understanding of the challenges each community faces and generates social justice/social equity-informed creative writing that supports community-engagement and social change.
TKP workshops have local, national and international cohorts. TKP (Minnesota) seeks to build bridges of intercultural and inter-community understanding that facilitates a more equitable and connected state. Each workshop provides opportunities for participants to engage in deep listening and reflection on social challenges specific to their community and experiences, and results in dynamic, compelling creative writing (i.e. poetry, flash fiction, prose, and other forms of storytelling) that serve a social function. Learn more at www.nichlosoncompany.org.
