Making Otherwise: Creative Practices for Liberation

Making Otherwise: Creative Practices for Liberation is a participatory workshop focused on developing personal, interpersonal, and collective tools for moving through uncertainty and building stronger community relationships. The session combines storytelling, reflective writing, collective ritual, sensory meditation, readings, conversation, and participatory art.

The workshop draws on decolonial, feminist, and global-majority liberatory perspectives, including Indigenous, Black, Brown, Queer, Trans, abolitionist, and decolonial frameworks. Themes include repairing relationships with land, community, and ancestors; addressing generational trauma; practicing tenderness and accountability; channeling anger toward change; and imagining ways to thrive rather than merely survive. Participants are invited to arrive as they are and bring curiosity, intention, and openness.

When: Saturday, October 24th 2026

Showtime: 2:00 pm

Venue: Red Emma’s, Free School Classroom, 3128 Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, MD

Tickets: Price not available

RSVP: Advance RSVP is requested through Withfriends.

Facilitator: María Célleri, PhD (she/her/ella), is a queer, disabled Latina immigrant, healer, bruja, and educator. Born in Venezuela to Ecuadorian parents and raised in New York City, she holds a master’s degree in Gender Studies and a PhD in Ethnic Studies. She is an associate professor of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies at UMBC and has more than a decade of experience teaching in college and community settings. Her approach centers experiential learning and the creation of caring spaces where participants can engage difficult material and develop practical skills.

Series note: The event is part of a three-workshop series. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend all three days, although attending one or two sessions is still supported.

Take-home materials: Every participant receives a Liberation Toolbox containing materials, creative prompts, and resources from all three workshops. The collection is intended to help participants continue practicing beyond the sessions and in their everyday lives and communities.

Mask policy: Masks are mandatory at all three workshops, and masks will be available at the door.

Run time: Not specified.