Vanessa Rochelle Lewis

Vanessa Rochelle Lewis Is…
A healer with a satchel full of medicine words,
A conjuror with desire to nurture other artists as they create magic and save lives,
A faerie princess mermaid gangsta for the revolution,
A lush-bodied, Black femme Goddess motivated by sensuality and freedom,
An educator and performer with a passionate exuberance for silliness, laughter, and the stage,
A starlet who doesn’t want to be in the spotlight alone,
A lover of all things collective, emergent, and interdependent,
A wild-seed born and blossomed in South-Central Los Angeles,
A fighter with fists born of circumstance and a heart that refused to harden,
A warrior committed to freedom, brow dripping with resilience, wings crusted with diamonds that grew from trauma healed,
A sunbeam drama kid, always ready to explore the whimsy of imagination with others,
A dreamer who’s hungry for more—more understanding, more expansive enlightenment, more friendship, more growth, more compassion, more love, more creativity, more access for her people,
An activist committed to unpacking the seeds, kernels, and fabrics of social justice, liberation for all, and collaborative healing
An alchemist who knows how to turn spirit-wounds into magic, oppression into possibility, resentment into vulnerability, insecurity into self-expansion, anger into love,
An ethical hedonist and pleasure activist committed to the transformative potency of using joy as a tool for decolonial healing, connection, intellectual assessment, and movement work,
A good witch who highly values compassion, love, curiosity, and using the forces that be for generative transformation rather than revenge,
A survivor, through and through, and extremely proud of it,
An unapologetically integrated person—intersectional, full, able to be held accountable, and unwilling to compromise any part of herself,
A Free Black Woman in love with words and expression, A goofy, romantic, and rascally flirt
A moon storm full of whimsy
A weirdo, queerdo, love bug, gummy bear who is so grateful to be alive.

I have a free little e-booklet on what uglification is.

Additionally, I’ll be facilitating a workshop called “We Keep Blooming.” It is a trauma-informed writing workshop designed specifically to support the healing of Black & Brown survivors through creative expression, community building, and accomplishing literary goals.

We will study the strategies and techniques that our favorite Black & Brown feminist poets and writers used to create the works that have healed us, use those techniques to give voice to our own pains and hopes, and offer each other loving support and encouragement along the process. While we can and will support writers who wish to grow in craft and publish their work, this workshop is dedicated to the vulnerable work of healing through reading, writing, and creative community building.

Reading, Journaling, and Writing are creative expressions that can be used to help participants:

• Reflect on the things that have caused pain and trauma throughout their life without judging or shaming themselves;
• Identify and hold space for the grief and anger over what was lost or taken;
• Intentionally and creatively express difficult or repressed emotions in a safe container amongst supportive witnesses;
• Develop a generative, self-loving, and honest voice to speak to and about their trauma;
• Compassionately identify negative or unintentional patterns, habits, or masks as a result of unprocessed grief and pain;
• Understand that they and their bodies are still sacred and separate from what has happened to them;
• Learn to accept, love, and nurture who they are and where they are on their journey;
• Lean into the radical power of healing through imagination and narrative shift; and 
• Participate in a safe and loving community designed for and devoted to healing and creativity. 

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My book, Reclaiming UGLY! A Radically Joyful Guide to Unlearning Oppression is available for presale!