Tom Huang will keep community as the central pillar of his teaching during the upcoming Poynter workshop the Power of Diverse Voices.
“I want to build a community of caring, compassionate journalists of color who dig deeply into their cultural roots and write honestly about their experiences,” he said. “In doing so, they learn more about why they tell stories and why they’ve chosen this hard work.”
Huang, a longtime Poynter adjunct and The Dallas Morning News’ assistant managing editor for journalism initiatives, is the workshop’s lead faculty, and has been integral to the workshop for years.
The goal of the seminar is to assist journalists of color in the process of finding and refining their voices while also building their skill at writing opinion pieces and personal essays.
“It’s amazing to see how they support one another, during the seminar and well after our last class, rooting for each other as many of them publish pieces they start during the workshop,” Huang said.
Many award-winning essays, podcasts and other work originated or developed during this workshop.
We asked some past participants to summarize their experiences in the workshop, and followed their comments with an excerpt from a piece they produced after leaving the program.
The 2021 writing workshops were virtual on Zoom during the pandemic, but the workshops were back in person starting in 2022, and this year’s workshop will be in person at Poynter.
Here is what some of them wrote:
María Inés: “It was a powerful experience. Our writing coaches were incredibly kind and provided a safe environment for us to be vulnerable. I felt connected to the journalists on the other side of my Zoom window. I cried writing about my sister’s suicide but I felt supported the entire time — even through publication. It was an incredibly healing journey for me and I know I couldn’t have done it alone.”
From “Suicide isn’t something Mexican families talk about. Years after my sister’s death, I finally stopped blaming myself.”, The Washington Post:
“For years, I used this verbal abuse to punish myself. Their punishment was small compared to my own. I directed the pain and anger inward. I wasn’t mad at her for leaving me with this trauma and her secrets; she was sick and I couldn’t be mad at a sick person. It was easier to be mad at myself. For not finding the right hospital. The right psychiatrist. The right therapist. The right medication. The right job.
“I had failed the most important job in my life.”
Esther Tseng: “I loved my time in Power of Diverse Voices. I have never encountered any other Zoom session to be as enriching as the days spent with my cohort. They were challenging, in the most rewarding way, too. We all pushed each other to be the best, most vulnerable writers we could be. I am a better writer because of my time with Power of Diverse Voices.”
From “The Silence of My White Friends After Atlanta,” Catapult:
“Despite all the toxicity, trolling, and bite-size hot takes for clout on social media, after the shooting, I strangely found more comfort on Twitter with fellow Asian Americans—most of them creatives and artists—than I did from my own best friend.”
Juan Michael Porter II: “In compelling us to write our personal stories, Poynter’s Power of Diverse Voices workshop corrected the lie that our opinions have no place in the newsroom. Without Poynter, I’d never have had the courage to insert myself into the reporting process — even though it was my story to tell.”
From “How Advocates and TheBodyPro Inspired IAS to Remove the Term ‘HIV Infected’ From Its Abstracts,” The BodyPro
“Though some people might think that words are meaningless, being a queer man, I know that if a doctor called me a ‘f—–’ while administering an examination, I would feel unsafe, unsettled, and unwilling to visit their office for care again. I feel the same way when people call me ‘HIV-infected,’ which has happened frequently during my treatment for HIV―from thoughtless and well-meaning physicians alike.”
Ismael Perez: “This was a monumental experience that helped me grow into the writer I am today. I apply the valuable knowledge I gained through the sessions into every column I write.”
From “Living with an addict during the pandemic,” Chicago Sun-Times:
“One of my favorite games was when my dad would pretend to be asleep in his bed while my siblings and I quietly sneaked into his room, trying not to wake the ‘monster.’ We held our breath in anticipation. After a few seconds, my dad would pop out from under the sheets and roar while we ran away laughing and screaming with joy.
“This time, the game was over. The monster was real.”
Martin Tsai: “Power of Diverse Voices provided the guidance and support that enabled me to dig deeper than ever before as a writer.”
From “All of us lonely,” Into
“Much like Adam (a character in ‘All of Us Strangers’), I was in love with a ghost, so desperate for affection, support, solidarity, tenderness, and passionate sex that I conceived elaborate fantasies about a life with him far removed from the uphill battle I’d been fighting. I regret to this day that the only occasion of my ever actually speaking to him IRL was to ask if he was OK while he coughed uncontrollably in the office kitchenette one day.”
Iris Kuo: “Poynter’s Power of Diverse Voices felt like a coming home of sorts to the journalistic writing community and support I’d always wanted to have. The teaching and coaching is top notch, and getting to bond with and work alongside other writers of color was incredible, affirming, deeply meaningful and — not to mention — fun!”
From “The ‘Whitening’ of Asian Americans,” The Atlantic:
“In researching … the history of whitening, and reflecting on my own experiences, I’m left thinking about the racial future of the United States, and the way ethnic groups align and re-align themselves. When privileged Asian Americans argue alongside whites that reverse discrimination is taking place, they allow themselves to be used as a wedge group, to divide people of color and position them against each other and, indeed, against less privileged Asian Americans.”
Harry Mok: “Working with talented trainers and fellow journalists during the Power of Diverse Voices workshop instilled confidence in my abilities as a writer and showed me even more so that stories of immigrants, people of color and the marginalized matter and deserve to be told.”
From “We’re selling the farm where my family built its American dream. Our roots are deep enough now without it,” the San Francisco Chronicle
“It doesn’t take a scientific study to see that most immigrants are hard-working and are here trying to make a better life for themselves and their children. This is why I’ve never understood the anti-immigrant fear mongering. The idea that immigrants are a detriment to the country is demonstrably untrue.”
Applications for Power of Diverse Voices: Writing Workshop for Journalists of Color close Sept. 6. The in-person course takes place Nov. 12-15 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
