Author and poet Michael Kiesow Moore will present a writing workshop to the VINE community on the topic of surviving the AIDS Crisis. The Minnesota State Arts Board funded Michael to develop a manuscript about his experiences during the AIDS crisis called “Not My First Pandemic.”  Michael hopes to gather stories about our experiences of living through both AIDS and the Covid pandemics. This spring he will present a public reading in Minneapolis with some of his workshop participants. All the stories that he collects, with permission, will be donated to the Tretter LGBTQ Archives at the University of Minnesota for posterity.

The writing workshops especially focus on the AIDS years with writing and sharing. Michael provides writing prompts to use for the writing, and gives time so that everyone has a chance to share what they wrote. The workshop lasts about 2 hours.