Every neighborhood is shaped by those who call it home.

Created in partnership with the Academy of Medical & Public Health Services, HERE AND NOW aims to foster community healing and build cross-cultural solidarity, providing a forum for personal experiences to be heard and engaging community members in the creative process.

From April through August 2022, Sunset Park community members (18+) were invited to come together in small groups to share stories about their lives and experiences. Sessions were led by an Artist Facilitators from Target Margin Theater along with wellness councilors AMPHS. Sessions were be offered in English, Mandarin, Spanish, and Arabic.

More than sixty members of the community participated in the sessions. For some, attending and sharing their stories with the small group was the full extent of their participation. But participants who wanted to share their stories with a broader audience were invited to develop them into an artistic piece during additional sessions with the Artist Facilitators.

Throughout the month of October, the Here and Now Exhibit at the Sunset Park branch of the Brooklyn Library will highlight the 18 community members who chose to develop their narratives further and record their stories as an artistic and therapeutic extension of their experiences. Stories were recorded in the participant’s preferred language. The exhibit is marked with an opening celebration on Saturday, October 1st with live readings from a few participants. For info on the December 18 event, click here.

Throughout the summer of 2022, Zinc acted as the artistic facilitator for Here and Now Community Storytelling project for their Mandarin session, in collaboration with 3 public health expert & psychotherapist. Over 30 participants who identified as first generation Chinese American immigrants participated the sessions. 8 participants chose to come back for a second round to record the stories they shared, which you can listen here on soundcloud. The themes of these stories range from conversations regarding America & Chinese public education difference; the difficulties of learning a new language; navigating metropolis as a first gen immigrant; love for plants and animals, etc. These stories depict the hardships of living in the city post pandemic through first hand accounts, but also highlight the beam of positivity and hopefulness, which are inspiring to both fellow participants and

About Zinc

What an honor to work with Zinc, who was the Artistic Facilitator for the Here and Now Storytelling program brought to you by AMPHS and Target Margin Theater. Zinc never failed to exude a calm, approachable, and engaging vibe to set the stage for hour storytellers who have been through major trauma and grief. It was impressive to see her dedication, passion, and creativity to supporting those who’ve been through so much, inspiring healing and recovery in the most authentic form. Thank you for all that you do Zinc!

• Mary Ng-Tedjasukmana, LCSW, PLLC