What can joy look like when we create it together?
The Collective Joy Project is a public dialogue series that explores how the humanities can help us reflect, connect, and imagine a hopeful future together.
Each month, we host an event designed to spark conversations, deepen connections, and uplift shared moments of belonging:
Conversations Live on Zoom
On the second Tuesday of each month, we go live for 30-minute conversations with artists, writers, and thought leaders. These candid talks invite you to listen in, ask questions, and find moments of meaning and joy in a changing world.
Whether you join for a quick listen or stay for the whole conversation, you’re part of a growing community coming together to create space for belonging, reflection, and connection.
A Limited Series
The Collective Joy Project will run through November, making each conversation a special part of this short and meaningful series. We hope you’ll join us for the rest of the series and be part of these meaningful conversations.
Tune in to past episodes and experience the joy for yourself.
Our very first Collective Joy Project IG Live kicked off with an unforgettable conversation featuring poet Katherine Bahena-Benitez.
Katherine shared her powerful poem “Queer Casita” and reflected on themes of grief, queerness, and finding joy in unexpected places. It was a moving dialogue filled with honesty, tenderness, and resilience.
In this archived IG Live, we’re joined by Yumi Sakugawa, a Japanese-Okinawan artist and author, for a beautiful conversation on how grief and joy are deeply intertwined.
Yumi invites us to reflect on healing, connection, and cosmic comfort through her storytelling and art.
Artist and activist Julio Salgado joins the Collective Joy Project in a conversation on Drawing Belonging: Queer Joy, Migration & Collective Memory.
Through his work, Julio explores how art can create connection, honor memory, and affirm the power of joy as resistance.
Joy and rematriation came to life on September 9, 2025, when the Collective Joy Project welcomed Tina Orduno Calderon for Land Back, Joy Forward: Rematriation of Land and Indigenous Futures.
With her songs and stories, Tina illuminated how honoring the sacred and embracing joy can shape Indigenous futures.