Workshops & Facilitation

I create spaces where poetry, listening, memory, and dialogue become tools for connection and transformation.

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I approach facilitation as a listening practice.

Whether through poetry, guided reflection, interdisciplinary arts programming, or community dialogue, my work creates spaces where participants can encounter memory, embodiment, grief, creativity, and connection with honesty and care.

My workshops are rooted in cultural responsiveness, emotional intelligence, and the belief that language can help people return to themselves and one another.

Poetry Workshops

Generative and reflective writing workshops centered on memory, place, embodiment, ancestry, grief, transformation, and voice.

Possible audiences:

  • universities
  • libraries
  • youth programs
  • literary organizations
  • retreats

Community Dialogue & Listening Sessions

Facilitated conversations designed to foster reflection, trust-building, collective storytelling, and deeper community engagement.

Themes could include:

  • belonging
  • identity
  • cultural memory
  • care
  • intergenerational dialogue
  • creativity and healing

Readings & Performances

Poetry readings and interdisciplinary performances exploring writing practice, Black Southern memory, embodiment, public humanities, and community-centered arts work.

Professional Development & Cultural Strategy

Support for organizations seeking thoughtful, community-rooted approaches to engagement, arts programming, and cultural initiatives.

Potential audiences:

  • nonprofits
  • arts councils
  • libraries
  • foundations
  • educational institutions
Dekine Cultural Strategies logo

Featured Workshop Topics

  • Writing Through Memory
  • Poetry as Witness
  • Listening as Creative Practice
  • Embodiment & Language
  • Grief, Ritual, and Reflection
  • Writing the Body
  • Black Southern Memory & Place
  • Collective Care

Previous Collaborators & Community Partners:

Blue Stoop, Dodge Poetry Festival, Gender Benders, Free Verse Poetry Festival, The Charles Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora Studies, Read Freely Fest, Emergence Magazine, Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Cultural Arts Center, ArtsUp SC, Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation, Hub City Writers Project, Myrtle Beach Art Museum, Georgetown County Library, Poetry Society of New York, MassQ Ball, Governor’s School for the Arts & Sciences, South Carolina Arts Leadership Institute

Testimonials

I enjoyed the whole session! It was very well structured, provided context, interesting examples, accessible prompts, good discussion and sharing, and the presenter also did an amazing job centering the well-being of participants. … The session felt full (in a good way) without feeling rushed.”

“It was an incredible workshop and one I would attend again in a heartbeat. The facilitator was a masterful teacher who created such a safe, compassionate container for us to learn. The topic was powerful and allowed me to access insight and creative inspiration in a brand new way.“

“The facilitator had a wonderful sense of calmness and care. Her prompts made me transfer myself to another place.”

“I appreciated the way you made sure every piece was accessible to everyone regardless of ability.”

“Thank you for giving me new tools to tell my story, a way to decolonize my approach to my story.”

“Often in workshops it seems as though there is too much to cover or too much empty time, but this workshop felt just right.”

“So revealing and so much I could relate to about family here in the UK.”

Bring Marlanda to Your Community

  • virtually
  • in-person
  • single-session
  • multi-session
  • keynote or featured reading formats

Programs can be adapted for schools, universities, libraries, conferences, retreats, and community organizations.

Book a free consultation or send an email to mdekine@gmail.com