Towards Healing: a night of QTBIPoC storytelling

★✫We acknowledge that this event is happening on the occupied, traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples – specifically the sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) nations. We want to acknowledge that the work we are doing and the event we are putting together is on occupied land that is untreated and was taken from the Indigenous people of Turtle Island. As writers and artists who are Black Indigenous, Mixed Race and/or People of Colour & Queer and Trans folks we aim to create art and share stories that come from our work to decolonize our bodies, stories and ancestors struggles. We have immense gratitude for the folks of this land & we recognize that Indigenous folks have and continue to experience the violence and disconnect through acts of colonization. We recognize as immigrants/ settlers we benefit through these process of colonization and capitalism and continuously aim to work to decolonize the ways we move through in the world and through our writing and art. ★✫
As folks of colour organizers who are settlers on this land we aim to create spaces that address and deconstruct process of colonization. We aim to have performances that share folks decolonizing processes and the struggles within these journeys. ♥♥♥
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★Towards Healing★ will be the last QTBIPOC centered event that I (Jotika) will be organizing at Heartwood, over the years we’ve had some amazing QTBIPOC centered events in the space! I’ve performed many times in the space and it’s become a hub for us to gather, share stories and share tears. Its def a loss to our communities to see heartwood closing. Most of the events I have helped organize have been fundraisers for our community members, helping raise funds for folks that needed it. Fundraisers to help healing happen, help folks in communities thrive and help them work towards their personal wellness. What a journey its been! We are going to miss you Heartwood!! Shouout to Melanie for always centering us! and gving soo much space for all the QTBIPoC artists and performers always ♥

★Towards Healing★ is a fundraiser I am organizing for myself. I got into an Expressive Arts Therapy Program & am fundraising to help me pay for tuition and other school realted expenses.
Come out to a night of storytelling /poetry/ music/ art/ and more by an all QTBIPOC lineup and help me pay for expressive art therapy school ♥

More info & link to an online fundraiser
https://www.generosity.com/education-fundraising/tuition-for-expressive-arts-therapy-program

Doors will be at 6 and show starts at 6:45
Sliding scale $5-$50 ( no one turned away for lack of funds )
There will be art for sale by some rad local QTBIPOC artists ♥

Were going to have an art table set up with wll kinds of art supplies and folks can make and create and play ♥

**Bring cash & friends!! **

performers ♥♥♥

ericahiroko
Dora Ng
noor il amar
aly de la cruz yip
Anoushka Ratnarajah
Tiare
Jahanzeb Kazi
Jotika

& we will have a performance from some of the cast of the
Pink Line ♥

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★Some memorable events we’ve organized at Heartwood include★

♥ ✫★Agni Parashmani/Flowers of the Flame : South Asian QT* performance night /art showcase♥ ✫★ A night of truth telling, vulnerability, comedy, mixed media art and poetry organized by and featuring Queer and Trans* South Asian folks https://www.facebook.com/events/242353549285450/

♥ ✫★ QT*IPOC showcase Fundraiser♥ ✫★: Featuring LGBT* IQ Artist of Colour. A night of storytelling and performance to Support a Brown Femme surgery costs https://www.facebook.com/events/664096206980217/

♥ ✫★ BOOK LAUNCH!! ♥ ✫★ Moving Truth(s) Queer and Transgender Desi Writings on Family
https://www.facebook.com/events/1621861398085417/

♥ ✫★Make it to the Top: A fundraiser and Storytelling Performance Showcase centering POC voices♥ ✫★
A fundraiser for a Trans Man of colour to cover costs for surgery aftercarehttps://www.facebook.com/events/966350560044131/

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Accessibility info for Heartwood Cafe:

▲▲ we are looking into securing ASL interpretation for our event. We will let folks know asap

▲▲There are two gender neutral bathrooms more info below.

▲▲Washrooms are not accessible for wheelchairs and scooters. Heartwood has made an agreement with the neighboring Starbucks, which allows Heartwood patrons to use their wheelchair and scooter accessible restrooms. Starbucks who have kindly welcomed folks to use their fully accessible washrooms without the need to purchase anything. We recognize that the starbucks closes at 830 pm the night of this event and this isn’t a permanent solution for folks who need an accessible washroom who are coming to the event.
For further information on Heartwood’s physical space, please check out the following accessibility audits done by the Radical Access Mapping Project.

Heartwood Community Cafe Audit: @ [NjQyMTgzOTU5MjA4MTA3Omh0dHBzXGEvL3JhZGljYWxhY2Nlc3NpYmxlY29tbXVuaXRpZXMud29yZHByZXNzLmNvbS8yMDExLzA3LzA2L3JoaXpvbWUtY2FmZS1hY2Nlc3MtYXVkaXQvOjo=:https://radicalaccessiblecommunities.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/rhizome-cafe-access-audit/]

▲▲This event is aiming to be scent reduced so if folks could please be mindful of minimizing/not wearing scented body products:
To learn more about what this means read Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha’s Fragrance Free Femme of Colour Realness Draft 1.5: @ [NjQyMTgzOTU5MjA4MTA3Omh0dHBcYS8vd3d3LmJyb3duc3Rhcmdpcmwub3JnLzEvcG9zdC8yMDEyLzAzL2ZyYWdyYW5jZS1mcmVlLWZlbW1lLW9mLWNvbG91ci1yZWFsbmVzcy1kcmFmdC0xNS5odG1sOjo=:http://www.brownstargirl.org/1/post/2012/03/fragrance-free-femme-of-colour-realness-draft-15.html]

& please also see this article by Peggy Munson on why it’s important to be fragrance free and how to go about it: @ [NjQyMTgzOTU5MjA4MTA3Omh0dHBcYS8vd3d3LnBlZ2d5bXVuc29uLmNvbS9tY3MvZnJhZ3JhbmNlZnJlZS5odG1sOjo=:http://www.peggymunson.com/mcs/fragrancefree.html]

▲▲We also may have folks coming to the event that have EMF Sensitivities (Electronic Magnetic Frequency Sensitivities.)
Read more about what this means here:
@ [NjQyMTgzOTU5MjA4MTA3Omh0dHBcYS8vd3d3LmJlc3QtZW1mLWhlYWx0aC5jb20vZWxlY3Ryb21hZ25ldGljLWh5cGVyc2Vuc2l0aXZpdHkuaHRtbDo6:http://www.best-emf-health.com/electromagnetic-hypersensitivity.html]

This means we may need to ask folks to power off cellphones and we will aim to have a section that is away from the wifi where folks with EMS can sit. Folks with EMF sensitivities can get very ill from being around these frequencies and often cannot be in spaces very long if there is wifi and many cellphones in the space.

▲▲ If there are other accessibility needs/questions that folks have and want to talk about msg Jotika and we can chat about it and together figure it out ▲▲