The Embodiment of Care

Prentis Hemphill in conversation with Mia Birdsong. Introduction and Welcome by Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii. Introductory live music performance by Bushwick Book Club Oakland

Freight & Salvage

As we emerge from the past few years of collective upheaval, how do we face the complexities of our time with joy, authenticity, and connection? Therapist, somatics teacher, activist, and writer Prentis Hemphill shows us how in What It Takes to Heal, a life-affirming framework toward a future in which healing is done in community. In Hemphill’s revolutionary framework, we don’t have to carry our emotional burdens alone. Healing our bodies, minds, and souls starts with the principles of embodiment—the recognition of our body’s sensations and habits, and the beliefs that inform them— and developing the interpersonal skills necessary to break down the doors of disconnection. What currently separates us isn’t only the ever-present injustices built around race, class, gender, values, and beliefs, but also our denial of our interdependence and need for belonging, as researcher and writer Mia Birdsong demonstrates in How We Show Up. Through research, interviews, and stories of lived experience, Birdsong reminds us of our inherent connectedness and provides a blueprint for showing up, both literally and figuratively. These hopeful frameworks for the future are grounded in evidence from our past, and Ericka Huggins brings her experience as an educator, Black Panther Party member, former political prisoner, human rights advocate, and poet to exemplify the power of community by shining a light on the remarkable women who formed the backbone of the Black Panther Party. Her book, Comrade Sisters, focuses on their monumental work protesting and organizing on behalf of the most vulnerable citizens, all while continuing to build communities, enact social justice, and provide food, housing, education, and healthcare off-stage. Join us to hear from experts and leaders in this enriching conversation that will challenge mainstream models of self-reliance and instead infuse healing with the rigor of justice, vulnerability, repair, and accountability.

Host or Publisher Bay Area Book Festival