In the X Page Workshop, stories begin with a word or a phrase. Prompts such as “luggage,” “shoes,” or “teacher” elicit images in the minds of the women who gather together every week. Each participant enters the scene – sometimes humorous, sometimes painful -- in her mind and witnesses the scents, sounds and sights she encounters. These detailed memories are written down and form the basis of a story, which eventually becomes a performance. This experiential storytelling method, developed by author and cartoonist Lynda Barry, is the foundation for the 12-week workshop, which brings refugee and immigrant women together for the purpose of holding space for empowerment through narratives. The first ever X Page Workshop debuted in 2019, culminating in a performance for 250 people in Waterloo Region. This year’s X Page Workshop focused on the theme of transit, delicately weaving 19 different stories into a mosaic representing the unique and valuable experiences of women now settled in Waterloo Region.
What began with nearly two dozen strangers in a classroom at Conrad Grebel University College on a Wednesday night quickly turned into a supportive community and solace for women from all walks of life. Gathering over food and casual conversation, the women learned each other’s stories, revelling in shared experiences and appreciating the differences. While the workshop days were full of writing, storytelling, and acting, they were also full of friendship and intentional space held for women who may not have a community of their own. Leaving their partners and children at home for those few hours allowed the group to form a connection that was key to the empowering and encouraging community needed to elicit the powerful stories.
Yet with nearly three weeks left in the workshop, in-person meetings suddenly halted due to COVID-19. As the rest of the world grappled with the implications of a global pandemic, so did the X Page organizers. With the safety and health of all team members and participants at the front of mind, the team worked quickly to find a way to support the women and their stories, even if the intended performance would be impossible.
Thus, the X Page Workshop Online Exclusive was born! Partners at The New Quarterly, Kindred Credit Union, the City of Waterloo, Durrell Communications, Project Ploughshares, MT Space, and the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement worked together to deliver the series completely online. Publishing a new story each day, the series acted as a string of chapters that compelled the reader to tune in eagerly to view the next instalment. While a significant portion of the X Page Workshop experience lies in the live performance, there is also a strong emphasis on providing the platform and compensation for the women to become published authors. Seeing their work published can provide a sense of legitimacy and authority to the women’s stories, empowering them to keep sharing their voices.
As the journey to Canada has the potential to be an incredibly isolating and frustrating experience, the ability to process, reflect upon, and share that experience with others who can truly relate, is extremely validating. For the women who aim to pursue further writing or performing, the X Page Workshop also gave them practical tips and tricks to take with them into their next adventures. For Tasneem Jamal, Writing Coach for the X Page Workshop and Communications Officer at Project Ploughshares, the X Page Workshop represents an opportunity for empowerment and enrichment. As newcomers tend to grapple with the frustrations of adapting to a new culture, providing for a family, or simply reorienting their identity to reflect the massive life changes, Tasneem cannot help but reflect on her own family’s experience. Immigrating from Uganda at a young age, Tasneem’s firsthand experiences as a newcomer are a large part of what drew her to help develop the X Page Workshop in the first place. With 2 years of the X Page Workshop behind her, Tasneem also reflected that she wished her own mother had a community where she could process and share her story. Not only would it have helped her mother find connections outside of the home, but it also would have contributed to deeper community life here in Canada. Tasneem believes that the X Page Workshop draws on the central principle of vulnerability and intimacy as strength, and that, “as women share themselves, they enrich their communities.” By playing a role in facilitating this enriched community life, Tasneem is giving back and pouring into the unique community of women seeking to find the meaning of “home” in a new land.
Photography by Sam Trieu.
