“Passage” Storytelling & Portrait Trading Workshop
No, YOU Tell It! & New Women New Yorkers invite you to share “Passage” stories about where we come from and where we are headed through a series of written and visual prompts from Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons (No, YOU Tell It!) and Zach Rothman-Hicks (Gabbing with Gays).
The first half of this free workshop features generative writing prompts to help participants brainstorm their “Passage” stories. Then, story partners will interview each other to learn more.
Next, the story partners will trace each other’s faces on transparency paper and incorporate what they heard in their stories to create a symbolic, composite portrait of their story partner. Participants will then share the portraits they made and the stories behind them.
This workshop is part of the Governors Island House Crawl & Parade. The event also acts as a kick-off for No, YOU Tell It!’s 9/24 “Passage” show produced in partnership with Culture Lab LIC and New Women New Yorkers. Follow @noyoutellit to learn about the show and more.
About the Facilitators
Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons is a Queens-based writer, college essay writing instructor, and storyteller. Her nonfiction work has appeared in HiLoBrow, Marie Claire, Hippocampus Magazine, and numerous anthologies. She is the creator and producer of No, YOU Tell It! (noyoutellit.com), a nonfiction series that brings storytellers together to trade tales, speak each other's words, and empower voices on the page and stage. Kelly Jean is also the editor of the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology (Palm Circle Press, 2022) and the Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems & Stories by Queens Writers anthology (Poets of Queens Press, 2026). Visit kellyjeanfitzsimmons.com and follow @kjfitzsimmons for more.
Zach Rothman-Hicks is an educator and multimedia conceptual artist who creates interactive performances and projects intended to spark reflection, dialogue, and action. He is a New York City Public School teacher and an Adjunct Lecturer at Hunter College and Queens College. During April 2020, while a student in the PIMA MFA Program at Brooklyn College, he initiated Gabbing with Gays, an interdisciplinary LGBTQIA+ oral history project. Most recently, he collaborated with The Seeing Place and the Queens Center for Gay Seniors on a series of intergenerational Sound/History walks to commemorate Pride month and LGBTQIA+ History month. For more information about his work, please follow gabbing_with_gays.
How to get to Governors Island?
Ferry Location:
Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn Bridge Park (Pier 6), or Red Hook/Atlantic Basin
The ferry runs every 30 minutes. You can check the ferry schedule and more information here.
Ferry is FREE before 11:00 AM!
Our House
NWNY's house is located at: 410A, Colonels Row
A Day on Governors Island
There will be many other artist residency spaces and events happening throughout the island, and we encourage you to explore and visit other spaces as part of your day.
We also recommend bringing a reusable water bottle, as there are water refill stations throughout the island.
There are several restaurants and food vendors on Governors Island, as well as beautiful green areas perfect for walking, relaxing, or having a picnic. You are also welcome to bring your own food or snacks if you prefer.