Join us on Broome Plaza for a Teaching Artist Workshop hosted by the Teaching Artists Guild (TAG) of California network. TAG workshops are part of the series of events in preparation for the upcoming Ventura County Celebration of Books. This year's book is “Rough Sleepers: Dr Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People” by Tracy Kidder.

Creative expressions developed during this workshop series will be combined into a single collective artwork which will be featured and presented during the Ventura County Celebration of Books.

This event is free and open to the public, but we will prioritize CSUCI Students and Transitional Age Youth (adults aged 18 - 24).

Workshop Goals:

• To normalize access to arts education and creative experiences for ALL members of the community, both housed and unhoused
• To build community bonds between people who share the same community but who would not normally socialize with one another, in this case housed and unhoused people
• To shift misperceptions and remove stigmas associated with the unhoused community, shifting the narrative from “this is an outsider” to “this is my neighbor”

Workshop 1: Poetry—September 21

Workshop participants will write poetry based on reflection through a series of writing prompts, facilitated by Fernando Salinas and Nicole Taylor.

Workshop 2: Visual Art—September 28

The poetry composed during workshop 1 will be incorporated into a collective artwork, facilitated by Nicole Taylor and Nathan Hayden.

The University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs, events and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the respective area below as soon as possible, but no later than seven (7) business days prior to the event/activity: CSUCI Students: accommodations@csuci.edu; CSUCI Employees and Members of the Public: angela.portillo@csuci.edu.