Our Projects.
Through the process of writing and performing our own stories, storytellers explore, refine, and transmit deeply held beliefs about ourselves and the world, reconnecting with ourselves, separating our traumatic memories from our sense of self, and finding catharsis in presenting our truths to others.
Writing Classes in TX Jails
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Rough Draft’s classes are facilitated by experienced storytellers with a deep understanding of the ways in which personal narrative writing fosters self-awareness and self-compassion, while sharing cultivates mutual understanding, compassion, and cohesion between community members.
Our work is informed by the principles of Narrative Therapy, an approach to therapeutic and community work that emphasizes individuals as the experts on their own lives and encourages us to re-author the dominant stories of our struggles and problems into empowering narratives of triumph, transformation, and redemption.
The Personhood Project
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The Personhood Project at its core is poetry exchange between poets and incarcerated adults, which looks to connect incarcerated writers to a larger poetry community.
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Writings in the project culminate in a podcast that explores poetry's ability to provide the tools necessary to process trauma, lead toward personal growth, and help reduce recidivism in the carceral system.
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Episodes can be found on our website and are aired once a month on San Marcos local radio at KZSM. You can also subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
From the Inside Out
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From the Inside Out is a visual arts program that focuses on connecting art with memory to help process trauma. Using the work of acclaimed artists, participants learn about their life journey, medium used, and create a piece in the same style as the artist.
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Artwork is displayed at a community pop-up during International Women's month, but we hope to bring a show to the local community this fall.
Arts Programming with Seniors
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Art programming encompasses the process of producing art in conjunction with narrative writing. Self expression comes in many forms and art is a way to process trauma and memories through a nonverbal medium. Participants use clay, paint, oil pastels, and collages to delve deeper into their lives and explore different facets of creativity.
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Some classes are conducted in conjunction with Life Long Learning, a San Marcos non-profit.
Dance and Movement Classes
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Dance and movement are essential to a healthy body and mind. Moving the body helps to release tension and reduce anxiety which is important for incarcerated individuals. Through the use of hula hoops, we hope to bring fun, playful, and creative movement classes soon!