SAVE THE DATE! Ash and Feather Podcast and Fundraiser

In support Minority Health Awareness Month this July.

Well Beings Studio is hosting a fundraiser to raise awareness about minority mental health, intersecting with medical trauma, anti-racism, and queer family life. The fundraiser will support our family-centered cancer support resources and the National Brain Tumor Society.

Feathers and skin. Beak and chin.
Smiles both ways. Cries some days
Holding myself together 
in the blue
of a blackberry
Beak and chin. Feathers and skin.
The juice down my front—a stain.
I want to begin again.

ASH AND FEATHER Event Details

Your purchase supports the production of stories like Ash and Feather, which help families impacted by cancer, as well as research and education for brain tumor patients and their families. Purchase a shirt separately or a shirt with the LIVE ZOOM* events.  You can also donate directly!  

Drawing by Allesse Patterson, LMU student, who plays Phoenix in Ash and Feather.

Purchase Ash and Feather T-SHIRT and LIVE ZOOM tickets.

THE PODCAST: Release, July 27. Ash and Feather is a free six-episode podcast, about a Black American family, with a daughter and dads, one of whom has brain cancer. Enacted by LMU Students. Directed by Dr. Daphnie Sicre. Episodes will air weekly on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and the Well Beings Studio site. Suitable for ages 10 and up.

THE MEDITATION WORKSHOP: To celebrate the podcast release. July 27, 7pm. Free on Zoom, Register here. Led by Radha Dalal, Child Life Specialist in Oncology and founder of Pink Rose Wellness.

*THE CREATIVE ARTS WORKSHOP: LIVE ZOOM, Thursday, July 30, 4-5pm PST. Facilitated by Sara Trail Founder/Director, Social Justice Sewing Academy. Explore textile art for personal transformation and community cohesion.

*THE PANEL: LIVE ZOOM, Saturday, August 1, 11-12noon PST.

• Lauren Carson, Executive Director, Black Girls Smile

• Dr. Sharon Chappell, Executive Director, Well Beings Studio

• Dr. Natalie Kelly, Neuropsychologist, City of Hope

• Ernesta Wright, Executive Director, The G.R.E.E.N. Foundation.

• Hosted by Karl O’Brian Williams, who plays Eagle in Ash and Feather.

Ash and Feather Cast and Crew, Final Recording Cut! June 28, 2020

Resources

—Our Blog on glioblastoma, grief and loss for parents and children, including books to support children.

—Listening Guide for Teens and their Families (click to download)

Community Websites

• Black Girls Smile

• The G.R.E.E.N. Foundation

• National Brain Tumor Society

• Social Justice Sewing Academy

• Pledge to Be Kind, Born this Way Foundation.

• Finding Balance During Turbulent Times, UCLA Health

• Peer Counseling for Queer Black and/or Indigenous and People of Color

• Understanding the Intersection: Being Black and LGBTQIA+ in America. Strength United, a CSUN Community Initiative.

Social Justice Sewing Academy, Quilt Block of the Month, July

Make a General Donation: https://wellbeings.networkforgood.com/projects/103360-main-giving-page

About Us: Well Beings Studio engages the arts to support emotional well-being of families impacted by cancer, other traumas and difficult times. We focus on understanding emotions; processing change, grief and loss; and utilizing reading, writing, and creative arts for well-being. We create arts-based resources and experiences to help families, particularly during cancer; as well as advocacy to dismantle stigmas about cancer, emotions, and reaching out for help. We are committed to inclusion, equity, and sharing multiple voices at the intersection of emotional well-being and mental health. For more information, contact Sharon Frances, Executive and Artistic Director, sharon@wellbeings.studio

This activity was supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Arts and Disability Center at the University of California Los Angeles.