Joy Starts Here: Workshop, Exhibition & Screening

​Join the opening gathering for Black Joy on the Eastside, a community storytelling project that explores joy, restoration, and resilience across Buffalo’s East Side.

​​View a project video, explore how health determinants and statistics can shape the stories told about the East Side, and respond through writing, reflection, dialogue, and creative activities. Guided by Buffalo Poet Laureate Aitina Fareed-Cooke and Annette Daniels-Taylor, an award-winning playwright, poet, author, and educator with experience in theater, performance, and creative writing instruction, participants will create a collective written response and have the opportunity to record it on camera for inclusion in the final project video.

This gathering also includes an exhibition of images collected throughout the project.

Registration is required.

Black Joy on the Eastside Workshop: Session 2

Join a hands-on community storytelling workshop rooted in the people, places, and perspectives of Buffalo’s East Side.

​View a project video, explore how health determinants and statistics can shape the stories told about the East Side, and respond through writing, reflection, dialogue, and creative activities. Guided by Buffalo Poet Laureate Aitina Fareed-Cooke and Annette Daniels-Taylor, an award-winning playwright, poet, author, and educator with experience in theater, performance, and creative writing instruction, participants will create a collective written response and have the opportunity to record it on camera for inclusion in the final project video.

Participants will have the opportunity to record their written work on camera for inclusion in the Black Joy on the Eastside video screening on December 19.

Registration is required.

Black Joy on the Eastside: Session 3

Join the final community storytelling workshop before the Black Joy on the Eastside Exhibition and Screening.

Through dialogue, reflection, creative writing, and collaborative activities, participants will respond to a project video and explore how health determinants can shape everyday life and the stories told about Buffalo’s East Side. Guided by Buffalo Poet Laureate Aitina Fareed-Cooke and Ekaete Bailey, poet, filmmaker, founder of Butterfly Chief Films, and Get Fokus’d Productions collaborator whose work connects storytelling, community, and social impact, participants will create a collective written response that reflects community knowledge, care, and possibility.

Participants will have the opportunity to record their written work on camera for inclusion in the final Joy on the Eastside video, which will be screened on December 19.

Registration is required.

Black Joy on the Eastside: Exhibition, Screening & Performance

Join Get Fokus’d Productions and the John R. Oishei Foundation for the culminating public gathering of Black Joy on the Eastside.

Experience an exhibition, screening, live performance, and community discussion featuring project visuals, participant-created writing, and recorded collective responses developed throughout the workshop series. The evening brings people together to explore what these stories mean, how they connect to everyday life, and what new ideas or possibilities they can inspire.

Enjoy a live performance by Aitina Fareed-Cooke / A.I. The Anomaly, accompanied by her band featuring Isaiah Gethers, Quentin McCarley, Maze Drum, and James Benders, with band management by Reggie Evans. Food will be provided.

The event is free and open to the public.

Registration is encouraged.