Writing the Line: Structure, Freedom, and Connectedness in a Black Writing Collaborative

• In Event: The Writing Reunion: Surviving the Academy Through the Black Familial Tradition

Abstract

Paper Two : Writing the Line: Structure, Freedom, & Connectedness in a Black Writing Collaborative
A staple symbol of the Black family reunion is the convening of all family members on the dance floor for a line dance. These dances join the entire family in one structured activity inclusive of many variations of style in performing the same dance. There is freedom to be. The line dance provides a structure that is flexible enough to accommodate all authentically. Similarly, the writing process in our Black writing collective gave the group structure to do important intellectual work while also facilitating safety, connectedness, and freedom among the members. Free spaces for Black folks are characterized by feeling safe to be fully human and connected to others in that pursuit; thus this writing collective is a free space (Benard & Agozino, 2012).
There is a flexible structure that ensures both productivity and safety. Each session we met for three hours and practiced the pomodoro technique of alternating focused writing time with breaks during which the group engaged in discussion, debrief, and interpersonal check ins. This structure also provided time for feedback on ideas that came up during individual writing time. The structure of the writing space allowed each scholar to complete their writing work and participate in the collaborative “dance” of writing together in this free space. Unlike other writing spaces this one used writing as a tool to sustain Black scholars’ wellbeing, connectedness during social distancing, as well as an act of resistance in solidarity with the summer 2020 uprisings for Black Lives, thus making it a multidimensional Black free space.
Perspective(s) or theoretical framework:
This paper is grounded in the notions of Black free spaces (Benard & Agozion, 2012; Gaulde, 2016). Forging free spaces are a historical legacy of Black identity in which Black people create counter spaces as a conduit for survival and freedom. Benard and Agozino (2012) defined “free spaces” as: an African-centered social space that emerges as an oppositional response to restrictive and oppressive hegemonic systems of control and power.
Methods, techniques or modes of inquiry
This theoretical paper will use the elements of Black free spaces to describe and analyze the usefulness of the three hour timed writing structure used every meeting during this writing collective. It will reference the face to face and virtual formats this writing structure has taken over a one year period to offer explanations of how structure enabled the free space to exist and transform to meet the needs of its members.
Significance
This paper contributes an effective writing process that supports writing productivity, Black freedom, safety, and connectedness with Black scholars without sacrificing any element for the other. This is crucial as universities work to recruit and sustain Black graduate students and faculty members that are too often forced to engage in toxic, irrelevant writing spaces to survive merely the academy. This paper outlines one path to thriving for Black scholars in the academy and beyond.

Author

• Camea Davis, Georgia State University