Holding

Abstract

"Holding" is a braided lyric essay that weaves narrative, performance, and theoretical strands to pose the question: How do we hold trauma, without it holding us? This question is particularly acute for queer people of color, who often undergo or inherit legacies of imperial trauma. It is also vital for researchers, writers, and performers who excavate imperial trauma. I suggest that collective and individual sacred healing practices provide a means of recovery, allowing us to disentangle ourselves from trauma's grasp, while remaining present to its effects.