Join us at Word Up for a celebratory reading and panel conversation for Creative Stillness Anthology, a collective work of poetry and essays honoring the spaces where creativity is shaped, restored, and reclaimed, curated by Dhayana Alejandrina.

Organized into four sections—The Weaving, The Centering, The Offering, and The Surrendering—the anthology moves through the rhythms of the creative life, exploring cultural memory, identity, grief and joy, mental health, and artistic devotion. Rooted in the belief that creative stillness is not the absence of movement but intentional presence, the collection reframes “writer’s block” as a necessary balance between output and nourishment.

Featured contributors will be joined by Dhayana Alejandrina, poet and curator of Creative Stillness, founder of The Creative Writing Hour, for a collective conversation reflecting on language, community-rooted storytelling, and how rest and lived experience shape artistic expression.

The evening includes brief readings, moderated dialogue with Angela Abreu, and audience Q&A.

Panelists include

• Sabrina Scanlan
• Goldn.Light
• Ms. Jenn
• Mars Santi
• SheaSpeaks
• Eunice Louis-Jacques
• Veronica Polanco

This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket with 30 max attendees. Please register in advance.

In compliance with Word Up Community Safety guidelines, all attendees for this event are encouraged to wear a mask.

Word Up Community Bookshop is located at 2113 Amsterdam Ave. (& 165th St.) in Washington Heights, NYC. You can take the 1 train to 168th St and the A/C train to 163rd or 168th  St.

This event is also sponsored by Dominican Writers Association, The Creative Writing Hour, Gatekeeper Press, Silk & Sugar, and Ocao.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Creative Stillness is a collective anthology of poetry and short stories that honors the spaces where creativity is shaped, restored, and reclaimed. Organized into four sections—The Weaving, The Centering, The Offering, and The Surrendering—the collection moves through the natural rhythms of the creative life, exploring cultural memory, identity, grief and joy, mental health, healing, and artistic devotion. Interwoven journaling prompts that invite readers to pause, reflect, and reconnect with their own creative voice. Intimate yet expansive, this anthology serves as both a literary offering and a companion, reminding readers that rest can be generative, stillness can be transformative, and meaning can take root when we slow down enough to listen.