In This Moment chapbooks

Updated: Dec 15, 2021

5/5 stars

In This Moment: Revolution, Reckoning, Reparation, a chapbook series curated by Amanda Chestnut, coordinated by Jeanne Strazzabosco (2020)

Published by the Visual Studies Workshop (VSW), these 10 chapbooks pair together Black writers and photographers, to focus on inspirational Black Rochester-area leaders. The project is the brainchild of Jeanne Strazzabosco, a retired teacher and local activist, and is curated by Amanda Chestnut, artist, educator, and advocate for the arts.

The chapbooks gracefully yet powerfully call attention to all the important revolutionary work going on in this area by Black Rochesterians. Each book celebrates the work of these leaders, while elevating the extraordinary talents of the writers and photographers involved as well.

"The theme, In this Moment, is a challenge to a euphemism often used in lieu of talking about Revolution, Reckoning, and Reparations. We look to take the euphemism and ask it back to those most likely to use it: What is this moment?"

Ultimately, in reading these books, I found that this moment is community and collaboration, it's resilience and courage, it's finding creative ways to have fun while making a real difference in the lives of those who need it.

The series was made available for free at local public libraries and at SUNY Brockport's Intercultural Center. However, if you wish to donate to the project you can do so here. There are multiple donation levels at which you can give... A gift of $100 or above will get you all 10 chapbooks!

Below is a list of the leaders featured, and those individuals who wrote the essays and took photos. Where I could find a link to someone's page online, I have included it.