In February 2022, Learning Courage hosted our second annual virtual event. This year our theme was Courage. It takes courage to tell your story, to stand up and speak out for change, to shift damaging cultural systems and dynamics that lead to harm, and to heal from sexual abuse and violence. This year our performers were inspired by our theme of courage and showed it through dance, poetry, song, spoken word, and storytelling; several of them even created new pieces, especially for our event.  We were honored to have Gregory Jbarra, well known for his role as “DCPI Garrett Moore” on the hit CBS police drama BLUE BLOODS, his extensive work on Broadway, and his Tony Award-winning for his portrayal of the Dad in Billy Elliot the musical serve as our host for the evening. 

Kerrin McCadden is the author of American Wake, a finalist for the New England Book Award, winner of the Vermont Book Award, New Issues Poetry Prize, and the Button Poetry Prize. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and the Sustainable Arts Foundation Writing Award. Kerrin McCadden | Poetry Foundation