Carlin Rushing
Carlin Rushing is a native of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. As a graduate of Spelman College and Vanderbilt University Divinity School, her work lands at the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, theology, and social justice. She often uses the art storytelling and drumming to build relationships across difference and to inform her ministry. Currently, she is the Carpenter Fellow for the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality at Vanderbilt Divinity School. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at American Baptist College, Nashville TN.

Telling My Story: A Composition Workshop Telling
This word and movement workshop will explore how ministers and religious leaders of color understand and assert their voice using both the poetry and prose of Black women writers and artists. With the words and works of Janelle Monaé, Naayirah Waheed, Alice Walker, Ntzoke Shange and Rihanna serving as imaginative fodder, participants will explore how creative writing and movement can serve as tools for deconstructing societal stereotypes and (re) constructing authentic images of self, relationships, and community. Participants do not need to think of themselves as poets and dancers to participate. They only need to bring bravery and their questions.