Creative Greensboro welcomes artist and educator Keala Rodgers for a Residency at the Hyers as she presents “Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum: Stories on Black Maternal Health.” The residency includes a series of writing workshops and culminates in a spoken-word showcase with performances at 7 pm, July 13 and July 18-20, at the Stephen D. Hyers Theatre in the Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 N. Davie St. The workshops are free. Showcase tickets are available at www.creativegreensboro.com.

About the Residency

Rodgers will perform a collection of spoken-word pieces sharing the birth stories of women of color. This collection will center on the perspectives of birthing people and their families. The poems feature topics including prenatal experiences, birth, postpartum, infertility, loss, abortion, maternal health, doula support, and advocacy. Certain pieces will include dance choreography and music accompaniment.

Together, the pieces will celebrate women of color and their stories – the beauty, trauma, successes, setbacks, and joys of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. Through this showcase, Rodgers seeks to raise awareness of issues that affect Black women in their maternal journeys and demonstrate how to advocate for themselves. She hopes they will identify with elements of this collection and know that they are not alone in their experiences.

Schedule of Events

Writing Workshops
The workshop schedule consists of four parts that cover key aspects of the birthing process. The topics are open-ended to foster creativity in the participants’ writing. Workshops are open to all who want to write about their perspective on the topic, regardless of their experience with pregnancy. The more variety of perspectives, the better. Workshops will guide participants to write a poem about the evening’s topic. 

Time: 7 pm
Dates:

• June 24: Baby Juice
• July 1: 40ish Weeks
• July 8: Birthing
• July 15: The Fourth Trimester
  
  

“Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum: Stories on Black Maternal Health”
Time: 7 pm
Dates:

• Saturday, July 13
• Thursday, July 18 through Saturday, July 20
  
  

About the Artist

Rodgers is a mother, educator, birth doula, reproductive-justice activist, and spoken-word artist. She believes in the power of words and their ability to affect change, and considers education to be a key component of freedom. Rodgers strives to use her voice to share her stories, the stories of others, and to build community from commonalities.

A proud North Carolina A&T State University graduate, Rodgers has been an educator in Guilford County Schools for 16 years. She is working on a master’s degree in school administration at Gardner-Webb University and lists her two children as her biggest accomplishment and motivation.