Welcome
Rooted Resilience: Intersectional Narratives of 2SLGBTQIA+ Creatives in Western Massachusetts is a multimedia project exploring narratives of current and contemporary 2SLGBTQIA+ creatives living on colonized Nipmuc, Nonotuck, and Pocumtuc land known also as Western Massachusetts.
The project’s outcomes include a podcast, multimedia blog (you are here), and community dialogue series.
Project Mission
We seek to preserve and amplify the voices of marginalized contemporary creatives and their often overlooked contributions to the cultural and social fabric of the region.
For the individuals we feature on the podcast and newsletter, Rooted Resilience provides a platform to share creative and personal histories and present-day explorations in resilience and community through a holistic lens, validating and uplifting experiences and preserving unique perspectives.
Project Partners
This project is co-created and produced by Luc Abbott and M Rudder with support from Bloom Local and BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity. This program is made possible by a grant from Mass Humanities which provided funding through Mass Cultural Council (MCC).
Additional support is provided by our community sponsors: High Five Books, The Tiny Activist, and Yet Another Queer Pop-Up Market.
Meet the Project Co-Directors
Luc Abbott (they/he) is the owner and founder of Bloom Local and has been cultivating and queering platforms and spaces that foster collective growth in the River Valley of Western Mass since 2021. Bloom Local’s mission is to unite locals with 2SLGBTQIA+-friendly businesses and organizations, nurturing a community where a culture of support blooms. Since its founding, Bloom Local has served more than 50 local 2SLGBTQIA+-owned and -allied small businesses and organizations through its Community Guide and Partner Program and through hosting 25 2SLGBTQIA+-focused networking, cultural, and educational events, welcoming more than 400 event attendees.
M Rudder (they/them) is an artist, entrepreneurial creative, and spiritual director who co-creates spaces, relationships, and experiences that affirm, center, delight, and strengthen under-represented intersectional communities and individuals. Their work includes partnership development, event programming for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and caretakers, co-founding and managing Yet Another Queer Pop-Up Market, and their work as a Spiritual Director within the 2SLGBTQ+ community and the Bombyx Fellows program. Each of these is a reflection of their commitment to cultivating a deep and meaningful space for interconnection, agency, and resilience.
Stay Connected to Rooted Resilience
We are using this space to share weekly updates about the development of this project including previews of upcoming podcast interviews, ways to support and contribute to the project, and writing about why it is so important that we embark on this journey of Rooted Resilience now.
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