Events

All workshops are listed in Eastern Time.

Unless specifically noted, our programs are free, virtual and suited for participants ages 16+. For further details about what to expect from our workshops, including accessibility options, and registration & Zoom instructions, click here.

Creative Writing Workshop with Seema Reza

Zoom Virtual Event

No experience required! If you can think, you can write. In this creative writing workshop, we'll consider writing as a tool for communication, expression, and relief from holding it all together. Join us. Seema Reza is the author of the books A Constellation of Half-Lives and When the World Breaks Open. She is the CEO of Community Building Art Works, a non-profit organization that brings workshops led by professional artists to service members, veterans, and clinicians. An alumnus of Goddard College and VONA, Reza has taught poetry in classrooms, jails, hospitals, and universities. She was a 2019 Stand-to Veteran Leadership Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute and the 2023 Pauli Murray Art for Racial Justice Fellow at the Antiracism Research and Policy Center at American University. Reza’s writing has been widely anthologized and has appeared in the Washington Post, McSweeney’s, The LA Review, LitHub, and Electric Literature among others. REGISTER HERE MissionBelonging is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program is managed by Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Comedy Writing Workshop with Amelia Bane in Partnership with Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals & The Up Center

Zoom Virtual Event

Join comedian Amelia Bane for a comedy writing workshop. Give yourself a break from your routine and take some time to laugh in community. Each workshop, we will read a humor piece and react to it together. After some discussion about technique and what makes comedy writing work, we’ll write our own pieces. We’ll come together at the end of the hour to hear a few participants share their work. You never have to share if you’re not in the mood. Come write with us or just come laugh with us! Open to all, and no experience required. Amelia Bane is a writer, improviser, and filmmaker based in Brooklyn. She trained at The Upright Citizens Brigade and has performed improv and sketch comedy at theaters all over NYC. Amelia holds degrees in Literature and Film from The College of William & Mary and Goddard College. She facilitates improv and comedy writing workshops for veterans, and service members in military hospitals, and in corporate settings, using humor and spontaneity to teach emotional regulation and communication. REGISTER HERE MissionBelonging is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. […]

Poetic Record: Resilience Workshop for Healthcare Workers with Laura Van Prooyen

Zoom Virtual Event

Join our community of healthcare workers, where writing offers connection, expression & relief from holding it all together. This free, online workshop led by Laura Van Prooyen, blends poetry, community, and the science of resilience. Each week, Laura selects a poem and together participants read, respond, write and can choose to share. We believe that at the heart of community is communication and at the heart of communication is knowing what you contain. We know art helps us better understand what we hold within ourselves and allows us to better express that to the people around us. No creative writing experience required. This workshop is intended for healthcare providers that are age 18 or older. Laura Van Prooyen is author of three collections of poetry: Frances of the Wider Field, Our House Was on Fire, nominated by Philip Levine and winner of the McGovern Prize, and Inkblot and Altar. She is also co-author of Text Structures from Poetry, a book of writing lessons for educators of grades 4-12. Van Prooyen is the Managing Editor for The Cortland Review, facilitates free online workshops with Community Building Art Works for healthcare workers, and is the founder of Next Page Press. She works […]

Online Visual Art Workshop with Special Guest Facilitator TBA

Zoom Virtual Event

Details of this workshop are forthcoming. Please check back soon. Suggested Supplies: TBA Special Guest to be announced. About CBAW Visual Arts Workshops Join Veterans and Artists, Valerie Acosta, Shaun Smith, Joe Merritt, or a special guest to learn new art techniques on Wednesdays at 7pm EST. Come hang out in a collaborative group setting and bring what materials you have. No experience necessary! To register, click the link below. REGISTER HERE MissionBelonging is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program is managed by Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Just Imagine: Liquitex Acrylic Mediums — An Online Visual Art Workshop with Brandy Antonio (in partnership with Plaza Art & Liquitex)

Zoom Virtual Event

Thanks to our friends at Plaza for connecting us with Brandy Antonio from Liquitex for this workshop. When it comes to acrylics, Liquitex started it all in 1955. In this demonstration, attendees will be introduced to the acrylic brand that has been at the forefront of innovation for 70 years. As the #1 acrylic in the world, Liquitex is the only brand to provide the most diverse offering of professional products, including seven unique ranges of professional acrylic colors and mediums. Just imagine what you can do with the choice of color ranges from Soft Body to Heavy Body, Ink, Acrylic Gouache, Sprays, Markers and the All-New Bio-Based Heavy Acrylic. The Liquitex mediums range offers a host of innovative possibilities to meet the aesthetic needs of every artist. This demo with Brandy Antonio is all about getting people excited about the endless possibilities of acrylic mediums so they can go right into the studio with tons of new ideas. Attendees will learn what mediums are, how they can change the inherent characteristics of acrylic color to meet each artist's vision, and which mediums are a must-have in Brandy’s practice. Come with all of your acrylic mediums questions for an exciting […]

Poetry of the Heart Chakra: A Writing & Yoga Pop-Up Workshop with Sarah Martin

Zoom Virtual Event

Poetry of the Heart Chakra: A Writing & Yoga Pop-Up Workshop with Sarah Martin About This Workshop The Poetry of the Chakras is a somatic, creative writing workshop merging poetry, yoga, and meditation to nurture spiritual blossoming. This special edition workshop will guide participants on a journey through heart chakra, drawing on Black and Indigenous nature-inspired poetry. Suitable for beginners and advanced yogis, participants will leave with at least one draft of a poem based on this meditative journey. In addition to writing materials, please bring a mat or prepare a soft surface to practice on for the movement portion of the workshop. Sarah Alayne Martin is a Black, queer poet, yogi, storyteller, and multi-dimensional teaching artist from Little Rock, Arkansas. A certified yoga instructor and SKY Wellness coach, Sarah blends poetry with yoga, breathwork, and meditation to create a unique healing practice that supports trauma recovery. They have facilitated somatic and creative writing workshops in diverse community settings, including public libraries, bookstores, wellness centers, parks, schools, and churches. Currently engaged as a storyteller with the National Endowment for the Arts' Creative Forces initiative, Sarah is also a 2022 Anaphora Arts Poetry Fellow and a two-time recipient of the Peoples […]

Creative Writing Workshop with Seema Reza

Zoom Virtual Event

No experience required! If you can think, you can write. In this creative writing workshop, we'll consider writing as a tool for communication, expression, and relief from holding it all together. Join us. Seema Reza is the author of the books A Constellation of Half-Lives and When the World Breaks Open. She is the CEO of Community Building Art Works, a non-profit organization that brings workshops led by professional artists to service members, veterans, and clinicians. An alumnus of Goddard College and VONA, Reza has taught poetry in classrooms, jails, hospitals, and universities. She was a 2019 Stand-to Veteran Leadership Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute and the 2023 Pauli Murray Art for Racial Justice Fellow at the Antiracism Research and Policy Center at American University. Reza’s writing has been widely anthologized and has appeared in the Washington Post, McSweeney’s, The LA Review, LitHub, and Electric Literature among others. REGISTER HERE MissionBelonging is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program is managed by Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Poetic Record: Resilience Workshop for Healthcare Workers with Laura Van Prooyen

Zoom Virtual Event

Join our community of healthcare workers, where writing offers connection, expression & relief from holding it all together. This free, online workshop led by Laura Van Prooyen, blends poetry, community, and the science of resilience. Each week, Laura selects a poem and together participants read, respond, write and can choose to share. We believe that at the heart of community is communication and at the heart of communication is knowing what you contain. We know art helps us better understand what we hold within ourselves and allows us to better express that to the people around us. No creative writing experience required. This workshop is intended for healthcare providers that are age 18 or older. Laura Van Prooyen is author of three collections of poetry: Frances of the Wider Field, Our House Was on Fire, nominated by Philip Levine and winner of the McGovern Prize, and Inkblot and Altar. She is also co-author of Text Structures from Poetry, a book of writing lessons for educators of grades 4-12. Van Prooyen is the Managing Editor for The Cortland Review, facilitates free online workshops with Community Building Art Works for healthcare workers, and is the founder of Next Page Press. She works […]

Painting Water in Watercolor — An Online Visual Art Workshop with Veteran Artist Shaun Smith

Zoom Virtual Event

Join Veteran Artist Shaun Smith for a fun and engaging online workshop, where you'll learn to capture the beauty and tranquility of water using watercolor techniques. Suggested Supplies: Watercolor paint Watercolor paper Paint brushes Water container Tape Pencil Paper towels Qtips White gouache paint Shaun Smith is a Retired U.S. Army Veteran and Fine Artist based in Northern Maine. Shaun served 10 years as a Combat Medic with a tour in Afghanistan. During that time, he was awarded The Combat Medic Badge for providing care under fire and a Purple Heart for injuries sustained from a VBIED. Shaun found comfort in art therapy as a way to express his experiences, leading him to enroll into an art university. Shaun graduated from The Academy of Art University of San Francisco with a bachelor's in fine art Painting in 2021. Shaun dedicates his time to painting landscapes, wildlife, and peaceful moments. "War carves a deep scar on us, always reminding us long after we leave the battlefield. I combat that ugliness by submerging myself in the tranquility of the wilderness to reflect and find peace. When I paint a scene or a subject, That's the only thing that matters in that moment […]

Military Voices: A Free Writing Workshop for Active Duty, Veterans & Military Families with Kevin Basl in Partnership with Blue Star Families

Zoom Virtual Event

It's time to tell your story. Blue Star Families has partnered with Community Building Art Works (CBAW) for a virtual creative writing workshop. Writing is a powerful tool for communication, self-discovery, and reflection. Together over Zoom, we’ll read a short piece of writing, see what makes it work, and use it to enter into our own stories. This workshop runs on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays of each month from 3:30 - 4:30 PM Eastern Time. No writing experience required—if you can think, you can write. Kevin Basl is a writer and musician living near Ithaca, New York. He was a mobile radar operator in the U.S. Army. Over the past decade, he has taught many writing and art-marking workshops for service members, veterans, and their communities. He's author of Midnight Cargo: Stories and Poems (Illuminated Press), and he's co-author of a chapbook of poems: Corn, Coal & Yellow Ribbons (Out of Step Press). (Midnight Cargo by Kevin Basl | illuminatedpress ) About Blue Star Families: The families of our all-volunteer military make unprecedented sacrifices these days to serve our country. Blue Star Families was founded by military spouses in 2009 to empower these families to thrive as they serve. […]

Memory as Lyric, as Inheritance with Nathan Xavier Osorio — An Online Creative Writing Workshop in Partnership with Strathmore

Zoom Virtual Event

Creative writing is a tool for knowing yourself, understanding the world, and connecting with other people. Led by author Seema Reza and accomplished guest writers—including poets, memoirists, novelists, and storytellers—these generative community workshops follow the model developed by Community Building Art Works (CBAW) over the course of a decade of bringing people together in military and hospital settings. Each workshop is designed to help participants put their personal stories on paper in a supportive environment. Whether you’re just starting out or have been writing for years, you are welcome; no experience is required. Bring a pen, a notebook, and an open mind! Memory as Lyric, as Inheritance with Nathan Xavier Osorio About This Workshop In this generative workshop we will write deeply to consider how poetry transforms personal and public memory to enact alternate histories, exercise identity, and embody ways of thinking and being. Using our writing practices as creative and critical tools, we will examine how, why, and to what effect memory in poetry can be experienced. We will ask questions like, “What histories can multiple languages reveal in a poem?” “Can we reanimate a (cyber, spiritual, or othered) place in a prose poem?” or “Can the poem be […]

Creative Writing Workshop with Seema Reza

Zoom Virtual Event

No experience required! If you can think, you can write. In this creative writing workshop, we'll consider writing as a tool for communication, expression, and relief from holding it all together. Join us. Seema Reza is the author of the books A Constellation of Half-Lives and When the World Breaks Open. She is the CEO of Community Building Art Works, a non-profit organization that brings workshops led by professional artists to service members, veterans, and clinicians. An alumnus of Goddard College and VONA, Reza has taught poetry in classrooms, jails, hospitals, and universities. She was a 2019 Stand-to Veteran Leadership Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute and the 2023 Pauli Murray Art for Racial Justice Fellow at the Antiracism Research and Policy Center at American University. Reza’s writing has been widely anthologized and has appeared in the Washington Post, McSweeney’s, The LA Review, LitHub, and Electric Literature among others. REGISTER HERE MissionBelonging is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program is managed by Mid-America Arts Alliance.