Valued Voices: Purpose & Path
Designed for writers of all genres and experience levels aged 50+
Constellation Energy Clasroom, 3rd Floor
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21201
April 11, 2026
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
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What does it mean to write from a lifetime of lived experience, and why does that voice matter now more than ever? Join Tribe 55+ for a dynamic, interactive workshop that centers the wisdom, clarity, and creative energy of writers aged 50 and beyond. Through a blend of a panel discussion, small-group conversation, and a guided writing exercise, participants will engage with Tribe 55+ literary artists whose work reflects truth-telling, resilience, and purpose. Writers can expect to explore how memory becomes story, how silence transforms into voice, and how creative expression shapes legacy. Practical, easy-to-implement tips and resources to elevate a writing practice will be shared, no matter what experience level. Participants will have opportunities to ask questions, exchange ideas, and respond to a writing prompt. Sharing is encouraged in a supportive, welcoming space. Stacey Cruise is a grants writer, arts organizer, visual artist, and cofounder of Tribe 55+, a collective of Black women artists and writers 55 and older across five Maryland counties, grounded in storytelling, cultural memory, and intergenerational collaboration. Denise Pasour Leftwich is an emerging writer who began attending writers’ workshops in 2024 to develop her work for a multimedia memoir combining text and photography. Baltimore-based author, Petula Caesar (She’s Such a Bright Girl: An American Story), her work explores Black women’s interior lives, cultural memory, and the complexities of identity. Cheryl Hinton is an artist, storyteller, African dancer, fabric sculptress, and author of a children’s book called Kayla’s Magic Eyes. Naomi Rivers writes lesbian romance and women’s fiction. They are a local wife writing team who believe in romance, fairy tales, and happily ever after. Deirdre L. Clawson, a careful observer, is currently working on a novel detailing the Sampson family’s riveting diaspora as well as a collection of personal essays. Cherrie Woods is a book publicist, PR consultant, and communications professional who has worked with 100+ authors and led 50+ PR and marketing workshops. She is the author of Where Do I Start? 10 PR Questions and Answers to Guide Self-Published Authors. She serves on the board of Baltimore’s CityLit Project.
ABOUT:
Founded in 2023, Tribe 55+ is a vibrant Maryland-based collective of creative Black women aged 55 and older. Their growing network includes visual artists, writers, poets, playwrights, and storytellers across many genres and stages of their creative journeys. Rooted in respect, authenticity, and shared growth, this workshop invites you to be seen, heard, and inspired to write with renewed purpose.
Stacey Cruise is a grants writer, arts organizer, visual artist, and creative community builder whose work focuses on storytelling, cultural memory, and intergenerational collaboration in the arts. She is one of the founders and an active member of Tribe 55+. Through her work with Tribe 55+, Stacey has curated three exhibitions that highlight the artistic voices and lived experiences of women artists over 55. The most recent exhibition, Quantum Generations: The Art of Enduring Wisdom, opened in March, and explores themes of legacy, creative evolution, and the wisdom passed down through generations. Stacey also developed a successful proposal to the Baltimore Museum of Art to facilitate an intergenerational workshop that brings together literary and visual artists, in partnership with the Joshua Johnson Council. The program was presented as part of programming connected to Amy Sherald’s American Sublime exhibition and created space for dialogue, creative exchange, and mentorship between artists at different stages of their creative journeys. Her work centers on building inclusive creative spaces where artists can learn from one another, share stories, and strengthen Maryland’s creative ecosystems!
Instagram: @CruiseStacey
Denise Pasour Leftwich is an emerging writer whose background in broadcast and film production, photography, and psychology has shaped her distinctive storytelling voice. Early in her career, Denise produced educational video segments for local news. In the elementary classroom, she created interactive projects such as a homeroom newspaper that combined photography and storytelling, encouraging her students to capture images of school events and write articles for their homeroom news. Her passion for creative nonfiction grew in 2024, when she started attending writers’ workshops to develop a multimedia memoir blending text and photographs. In these workshops, Denise realized that writing is both like a mirror and a journey into the unknown, reflecting, “Each story I write reveals new insights about myself and the world around me.”
Petula Caesar is a Baltimore-based writer and author whose work explores Black women’s interior lives, cultural memory, and the complexities of identity. She is the author of the award-winning memoir She’s Such a Bright Girl: An American Story, which examines a childhood shaped by colorism, family legacy, and the pressures of respectability. “The strength of her writing is how Caesar addresses social issues without relying on dense academic language. Her prose is compelling but welcoming to a variety of readers,” says critic Ellen LaFleche. Petula’s writing has appeared in The Baltimore Sun, The Afro-American Newspapers, Baltimore Magazine, and City Paper, reflecting a career grounded in both literary and journalistic storytelling. Over time, Caesar’s writing practice has expanded beyond the page into performance and theater, where her narratives are embodied through live storytelling and staged work. As a playwright, performer, and producer, she creates interdisciplinary pieces that bring her written voice into direct relationship with audiences, using story as a tool for reflection, connection, and cultural dialogue.
petulacaesar.com
Instagram: @tula__mae
Cheryl Hinton is an artist, storyteller, African dancer, fabric sculptress, and author of a children’s book called Kayla’s Magic Eyes. She is a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers, volunteer and past Griot-in-Residence with the Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures, volunteer for the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, African dance instructor and seamstress a.k.a. Fabric Sculptress. For over five decades, she has sewn hundreds of dance costumes for various University dance programs in Maryland and Pennsylvania, Baltimore City/County Public School Dance programs, Morton Street Dance Center, Ailey Camp Summer Dance, Dance Happens, LLC. to name a few.
Instagram: @lovespieces1
Naomi Rivers writes lesbian romance and women’s fiction. They are a wife writing team who believe in romance, fairy tales, and happily ever after. The first novel, THIS: A Simple, Complex Love Story, was written over twenty years to maintain their connection during deployments and other assignments. Their second book, Why Not Us?, “The novel beautifully captures the emotional weight of illness, the strain of unexpected responsibility, and the challenges of balancing partnership with caregiving,” -Amazon review. They are both retired U.S. military veterans and reside with two rescue dogs on the east coast. Naomi Rivers’ work has appeared in I Heart SapphFic’s anthology Favorite Scenes from Favorite Authors and From a Black Perspective: The Homeland published by Rainbow Room Publishing.
naomiriversbooks.com
Instagram: @naomiriversbooks
Deirdre L. Clawson, a careful observer, has been writing since she was a child. She is currently working on a novel detailing the Sampson family’s riveting diaspora as well as a collection of personal essays. When asked what she hopes to accomplish with her writing, Deirdre says, “I want to bring the world to a better understanding of itself.” She previously attended the Abrie Writing Center in France and the Norman Mailer Writers Colony in New York City. One essay, “Why does it hurt so much?” is included in Impact’s award-winning collection (2020), which won the 2021 Best Book Award in Current Events, and was a finalist in the Social Change category with the American Book Fest. In addition, the book was a 2021 Indie Book Award finalist in two categories: Anthology and Social Change.
Instagram: @deirdrelclawson
Cherrie Woods is a seasoned public relations (PR) professional with over 20 years of experience. As a PR consultant, book publicist, and workshop facilitator, she empowers authors and creative entrepreneurs to achieve their goals. Woods has held staff and leadership roles in museums, government and a public market system and a PR agency. She has supported over 100 authors, presented PR and marketing workshops at more than 50 events, and authored Where Do I Start? 10 PR Questions and Answers to Guide Self-Published Authors. Woods has been featured in The Baltimore Sun, WJZ-TV, WEAA 88.9, SiriusXM, and Maryland Public Television. She is an award-winning poet and a member/past chapter president of Maryland Writers Assoc. and a member of Black Writers Guild of Maryland. She also sits on the board of CityLit Project.
eclecticpr.com
Instagram: @cherriewoods
Tribe 55+:
Founded in 2023, Tribe 55+ is a vibrant collective of creative Black women aged 55 and older. Their growing network of 68 Tribeswomen brings together visual artists, writers, and storytellers working across a wide range of media and at many stages of their creative journeys. United by a shared commitment to artistic expression, Tribe 55+ creates a space where Black women’s voices, stories, and visions are seen, heard, and celebrated. Their work is grounded in collaboration, artistic exploration, and mutual support. Tribeswomen gather to share their work, exchange ideas, and deepen their creative practices through workshops, exhibitions, and community engagement. In 2025 and 2026, the collective presented two-month-long exhibitions featuring literary and visual artists from Tribe 55+, showcasing the work of 17 Tribeswomen in 2025 and 21 in 2026. The collective has also featured a spoken word performance hosted by journalist and storyteller Maria Broom. Four Tribeswomen are currently holding a creative residency in Catonsville, facilitating public workshops. In 2026, they hosted an intergenerational workshop for creatives inspired by Amy Sherald: American Sublime, in partnership with the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Joshua Johnson Council.
Tribe 55+ is expanding across Maryland through literary and visual arts workshops, exhibitions, spoken word performances, public convenings, and cultural excursions. Each gathering invites new connections, new voices, and new creative possibilities. They are building a powerful community of Black creatives, advancing a cultural movement that honors the enduring power of Black women’s voices.
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CityLit Project in partnership with Maryland Center for History and Culture present Bearing Witness: Literature as a Revolutionary Act. This celebration of the arts showcases a bevy of leading poets and writers on April 11, 2026. We’re talking fiction, nonfiction, poetry galore, and ways to up the ante on your craft.
Download the CityLit Festival: Bearing Witness flyer with the schedule.
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