Fragmented and Whole © is an affirmation that we are whole and complete as we already are, even as we continue to grow and heal from the things that have caused us pain. Together, over the course of the cohort, we will explore the concept Fragmented and Whole © by reflecting and writing on these themes: Grounded in Spirituality, Being and Becoming Whole, Black Women, Power, and Voice, Power in Creating Community
The Aya Collective currently has two writing projects that are underway, our 2021 Writing Project and Fragmented and Whole.
2021 Writing Project
Over the last three years, the Aya Collective (formerly the Kinky Curly Theological Collective) has gathered Black and African women focusing on writing through the lens of spirituality in community. In that time, we have hosted writing workshops, conferences, and otherwise held space for participants to deepen their writing practice.
In 2021, we will be focusing on turning those stories that Black and African women have written over the years into a book. The book will explore some of the themes that KCTC has explored over the last three years. We are inviting all interested Black and African identified women, whether they have formerly participated in KCTC or not, to be a part of this collection.
If you are interested, please fill out this brief form no later than March 1. This form is only designed to help us understand who might be interested in this project; it is not necessary to have a finished writing project at the time of your submission. Those will be due later in the year. To find out more about this project, attend our information session on January 28th from 5 – 6p
Fragmented and Whole
In 2020, we launched our premier writing curriculum, Fragmented and Whole. This curriculum focused on bringing Black and African women together to create a vibrant writing community that can support each participant in the further development of their voice.
Together, we explored themes related to spirituality, power, and creating community. We held space for each other virtually and persisted in spite of the Coronavirus. We did this believing that we were the space we needed to be well, and that Black women have a truth to tell held in our bodies that need to get out.
We will be accepting applications for our next cohort starting in April. Stay tuned for more information.
…There is strength in vulnerability and weakness. The world would have us believe that in order to be accepted, we have to be polished and all cleaned up but the reality is that so few of us are. So many of us, on any given day, are struggling with demons that refuse to submit. But we struggle and move forward because we know that the call of God is greater than any situation we face, and far greater than all of our insecurities. To suggest that we have to be perfect and presentable before we are in a space to lead, to heal, to write, to minister, to sing, to have something valuable to say, is an insult to that call and to the Divine.
An excerpt from A Lesson in Vulnerability, Weakness, and Unapologetic Messiness by Ebony Adedayo https://tinyurl.com/vrtueet
Aya Collective 