welcome to the swamp
it’s a little murky. that’s on purpose. a little funky, too. swamps don’t rush. they don’t clarify themselves for you. they’re thick, layered, full of decay and new life happening at the same time. you don’t always know where you’re stepping. you learn by feeling your way through.
alligators live here just fine. not because the water is clear, but because they know how to sense. along their jaws are tiny pressure receptors that pick up the slightest ripple - a shift, a movement, something small but meaningful. they don’t rely on perfect vision. they trust what they feel. they also shape the swamp itself - carving out “gator holes” that hold water when everything else dries up. those spaces become refuge. life gathers there.
this space is a bit like that. a 3rd space for folks to practice creativity and storytelling as healing modalities through various mediums. we get awkward. we get honest. we don’t always know what we’re doing. messy. imperfect. learning from alligator.
here, you don’t have to see everything clearly. you are invited to notice the ripples. to feel what’s shifting in you. to let other people matter in that process. over time, we make little “gator holes” together. spaces that hold something steady when things get hard. spaces that make it a little easier to keep going.
you don’t have to be “ready.” you don’t have to be “healed.” you don’t have to make sense. just come as you are. confused, curious, overwhelmed, numb, feeling too much, not feeling enough. bring it to the swamp space. your own pace. choose how you engage and let your journey be fluid. weird. funky. stay swampy.
OVERVIEW OF OFFERINGS
none of these are about doing it “right.”
they’re about practicing noticing, expressing, relating—
with yourself and other people who are also figuring it out.
storytelling, creativity, and play are essential parts of being human. they’re how we explore, make meaning, and stay connected to ourselves and each other. systems like white supremacy, imperialism, capitalism, and patriarchy try to provide the stories of who we are, what we’re worth, and how the world is supposed to work. so practicing the art of storytelling in daily life is an essential way to take that power back, to author our own meanings and share them amongst community. these are offerings through various creative mediums that engage folks to practice storytelling, storytending, and storylistening.
MOVEMENT CLASS
(for when talking isn’t cutting it)
sometimes your body knows before you do.
sometimes it's been holding things you don't have words for.
this is a space to move that stuff around.
to shake, stretch, pause, breathe, flail a little—whatever's real.
come engage in a space where you can explore how you need to move. how your body needs to tell a story that needs to be told. experiement with being witnessed and witnessing others telling our stories.
this space is adapted to various levels of abilities and comfort levels with being seen (you can choose how you show up, how you engage, and how you show your story)
CREATIVE WRITING
(tell it weird. tell it sideways.)
we don't do perfect narratives here.
we write stories, characters, fragments, strange little truths.
and somewhere in that, you begin to carve your own gator hole within the swamp muck.
you don't have to be a "writer."
you just have to be willing to play and be a little honest. be a little weird. be a little funky.
Come with your own writing activity in mind or engage in the planned practices.
Planned creative writing pracrices are designed to help us explore our selves, fears, grief, rage, joy, pleasure, uncertainty, and hidden realms beyond through activities that engage our muscles of creativity - the superpower capitalism can never truly steel if we exercise it!
Explore sharing your stories and witnessing others' stories.
PEER ADVOCACY COMPANION
(i’ll come with you.)
some places are just... a lot.
doctor's offices. hospitals. stores. systems that weren't built with you in mind.
you don't have to do those alone.
as a cancer survivor myself, I know what it's like to feel alone navigating spaces that feel overwhelming at best and dangerous at worst.
If you need support while navigating these spaces, I show up with you—not as an expert over you, but as someone alongside you.
we figure it out together, from advocacy to peer support.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
(from “i care” to “we’re doing something about it”)
caring about things can feel overwhelming when you're by yourself.
this is about finding your people, building skills, and learning how to actually be in community—messy, imperfect, real.
we practice communication, accountability, and collaboration.
because community doesn't just happen. we make it.
If you want to learn how to utilize your skills, talents, and passions for building the new systems you want to see in the world - this is for you!
we work together to move you from "I care" to " We Got US! "
The Alligator Hole is an invitation to explore inhabiting the stories we carry through telling, tending, and listening. make your own space for storytelling through embodied and creative mediums, where movement classes meet creative writing in a murky dance. within our peer advocacy support and collaborative groups, we foster 3rd space community groups that embraces the raw and the unrefined. In this 3rd space, we navigate the messy complexities of creative expression together, finding depth in the shared journey. engage at your own pace. explore. discover. share stories. groups are adapted for many levels of engagement and accessibility needs. there are even opportunities to lead your own offering.
EMBRACE THE MESS
WORKSHOPS & ADVOCACY
CONNECTED * MESSY * CREATIVE * MURKY * EMBODIED
A SPACE FOR PEERS
make a gator hole
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