“ABSTRACT [for potential reality] : Soon You Better Feel Hope” is a storytelling workshop & call to action for people living with HIV/AIDS. The virus is not new, but stigma, circumstance, & access to care are ever-changing. As the context around HIV treatment & care has shifted, so too have the experiences of newly-diagnosed folks as well as long-time survivors. By interacting with writing, performance, & artwork from the vast legacy of HIV+ creatives both past & present, we will consider our own unique experiences as a kind of living archive moving always into the future. In doing this, we also resist the idea that History = Past, especially in relation to the AIDS epidemic as most widely located in NYC / San Francisco in the 80’s / 90’s.
A message from the workshop facilitator:
While “poetry” is the skin my work most frequently walks in, I consider my practice increasingly multi-modal / interdisciplinary, which is why I use the language of “storytelling” here. During this workshop, I will encourage folks to experiment, resist, & ultimately break out of traditional narrative modes. I want us to share our stories in whatever way feels authentic to us.
Each week, I will offer work across mediums from HIV+ practitioners for us to consider, which I hope will generate fruitful discussion around the construction of our own narratives. Heavy emphasis will be placed on communal sharing & real-time feedback, though I will also provide weekly (optional) prompts & exercises for folks to sit with during the days between our meetings. This workshop will culminate in a public/digital showcase to be recorded for future archival purposes.
Weekly on Zoom, Starting August 1.
Saturdays 2pm EST
[Image attributions: Soon You Better Feel Hope, 2019 (discharge papers, ink on postcard, 4×6) Constantine Jones; Untitled (I am Free), 2009 (ink on paper, 9×4) Chloe Dzubilo, courtesy of her estate via Visual AIDS; Headshot (Thanks Joey), 2020 (polaroid) Constantine Jones]
About the Facilitator:
Constantine Jones is an HIV+ Greek-American thingmaker raised in Tennessee & living in Brooklyn. They are a member of the Visual AIDS Artist+ Registry & a core member of the Operating System, where their debut print document, IN STILL ROOMS (March 4th, 2020), was published. They also volunteer at the LGBT Center Archives, where they conduct research on the intersection of Greek-American histories & HIV. Their work has been performed or exhibited at various venues across NYC.
ALL ACCESS PRICING MODEL / PAY WHAT YOU CAN / COMPARISON COSTS:
Liminal Lab is committed to providing a source of income for our collaborators and facilitators in an increasingly precarious time for culture workers and educators. However, no one will ever be turned away for lack of funds. We ask that those who can pay the suggested price, and/or help cover the cost of scholarship slots in each of our programs by sponsoring other participants.
Compare the below to the cost for a similar accredited workshop in a university setting (where most of the $$$ goes to institutional bloat): $750 — we show you this so we can begin to think about wtf is happening in our institutions, where both students and faculty get the short end of the stick.
At a standard “Market Rate,” at arts orgs: $250*
Recommended Sliding Scale: $30-50/session → $120-200 for the series
Precarity Pricing: $10-20/session
Barter / Volunteer / No Cost Option Available
Sponsorship: You may sponsor low or no fee participants in this workshop with a donation of any size.*if you have the funds to afford the “Market Rate,” we encourage you to support this facilitator by donating at that level, which will also support other students in this course who are unable to pay.
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