Why write about uncomfortable experiences? And why share them with others?  

Writing a collection of poetry about trauma was never a dream of Chelsey Richardson’s, but she did want to be a writer, and expressing her pain through writing gave her a tool for self-love, joy, and liberation. 

In this writing workshop, Richardson fuses the ancient art of African storytelling with modern spoken word poetry to show audiences how putting difficult emotions into words can help us heal from traumatic experiences.  

Chelsey Richardson (she/her) is a mother, teacher, and poet. She holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in teaching English education. She currently works as an educator at Nova Alternative High School in Seattle. Her debut poetry book, All Water Has Perfect Memory, was published in 2021.

Richardson lives in Seattle.