I received a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to write a manuscript about my experiences during the AIDS Crisis that I called “Not My First Pandemic.” This was a story told through the lens of living through the recent, my second, pandemic.
Part of this project included facilitating writing workshops with those of us who lived through both AIDS and the Covid pandemics, particularly the LGBTQA+ community. On June 8 from 2-4 pm, at the Open Book Performance Hall in Minneapolis, I presented a final, public event where I shared my new writing and invited workshop participants to tell their stories.
Everything that I wrote, and all the stories that I collected, with permission, will be donated to the Tretter LGBTQ Archives at the University of Minnesota for posterity.
We also had two writing workshops in 2024, and additional workshops in Mankato, Morris, and Minneapolis in 2025.
2024
August 17: AIDS Writing Workshop
September 29: AIDS Writing Workshop
(Open Book, Minneapolis, MN)
2025
April 14: Author Talk, “Not My First Pandemic” Project: Reflections on the AIDS Crisis
April 25: AIDS Writing Workshop
(VINE Faith in Action, Mankato, MN)
April 17: Poetry Reading, “Not My First Pandemic” Project: Reflections on the AIDS Crisis
April 18: Meet and Greet with Morris Community
April 18: Project Presentation, Advanced Poetry Class
(University of Minnesota-Morris Campus, Morris, MN)
May 31: AIDS Writing Workshop
(Quatrefoil Library, Minneapolis, MN)
June 1: Open space for community of writing workshop participants
(Open Book, Minneapolis, MN)
Project Finale
June 8, 2025:
“Not My First Pandemic” Project Finale
Open Book Performance Hall, Minneapolis, MN
Michael Kiesow Moore is a fiscal year 2024 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
