Open writing circle

J.L. McKain invites participants to explore the intersection of memory, movement, and narrative on the page. Jos ues text as a choreographic tool to help participants understand how the body can open doors to new layers of expression and experience. The workshop encourages creativity through autofiction and myth-making, allowing participants to bring their personal stories to life and explore deeper emotional and imaginative landscapes through writing.

J.L. McKain (BOOKDADDY) is a Berlin-based Sinto-Romani American choreographer, director, and writer. Trained in cinema, fine arts, and choreography, McKain’s practice navigates the intersection of stage, screen, and text. They utilize autofiction and myth-making to explore the body as a portal for experiences of extremity, precarity, and renewal. In their work, text functions as a choreographic tool—an embodied archive that can be activated through writing.

McKain’s collaborations include K3—Tanzplan Hamburg, Uferstudios, Roter Salon, in Centre D’art Contemporaine Geneve for K3 and Pieter Space Los Angeles. As a writer, they contribute to DANCELAWYER and PW Magazine. They directed Montaro Salon, an invitation-only performance format for choreographic works in intimate, domestic settings, and choreographed the dance film Alow. In 2019, they taught at ImPulsTanz Festival and developed a “cowboy-android” opera for the Deutsches Theater in Kazakhstan. Recognition includes being a 2016 danceWEB scholar and a 2018 Tadeusz Kantor Fellow. Their image is held in the collections of Zeitz MOCAA, MoMA PS1, Centre Pompidou, and LACMA. Since immigrating to Berlin in 2016, McKain has continued to develop projects across performance, film, and literature. Their first novel is forthcoming.

Words and stories reside within all of us, waiting to be discovered.

Our monthly Open Writing Circle invites people with all levels of writing experience to explore their creativity and imagination.
In each session, one of Berlin’s many exceptional writers, poets, artists, or curators will create a vibrant and collective learning experience.

Whether you’re interested in fiction, memoir, non-fiction, or poetry, this supportive space encourages you to uncover the words within you. We’ll draw upon techniques used in writing workshops to unleash your innate talent in a collaborative environment that will allow for a dynamic exchange of ideas and insights.

This workshop aims to create an affirming, playful and empowering space for queer people to explore, express and celebrate their identities as well as to provide a platform for the stories of the LGBTQIA+ community to be shared, heard and valued.

General Information
Level: No previous experience is necessary.
Language: While the group is primarily conducted in English, you are welcome to write in any language you feel comfortable with.
Cost: this event is free of charge.We also invite all writers to consider leading a future session—please contact us for more information

** This event is part of the we are village program ‘Belonging versus Lonelines‘, with the support of LADS.
Learn more about the program here.