I jumped at the opportunity to participate as a storyteller in TMI Project’s first workshop and performance of #BlackStoriesMatter in early 2017 and, later that year, as a TMI Project teacher-trainee. I can’t think of more important work than helping people tell their true stories.  If you think it’s simple, you should try it sometime.“

As Partnerships and Programs Manager, Dara focuses on deepening community connections and expanding program impact across an evolving network of community partners.

Since joining TMI Project in 2017 with the inaugural cohort of Black Stories Matter writer-performers, Dara has served as a workshop leader and podcast co-host  (Season 2: Black Stories Matter) drawing on more than two decades of experience in program design and facilitation with a focus on creative process and practice.

In addition to her work with TMI Project, Dara is a writer and developmental editor. She has supported the work of social justice leaders on a variety of projects including the Liberation Ventures framework for Repair (liberationventures.org), thought-partnered with a cohort of Leader-Grantees of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation and, as guest developmental editor with the Nonprofit Quarterly, supported Edge Leadership writers working on articles for publication.

Her first book, Great Space of Desire: Writing for Personal Evolution, is both a memoir and a guide for writers seeking to tell their own stories. Her work has also appeared in I’m Speaking Now: Black Women Share Their Truth (Chicken Soup for the Soul 2021) as well as on Longreads and MemoirLand on Substack. Her new book is represented by the Sheedy Literary Agency.

“TMI Project allows an exchange to happen. It feeds a deep need to know our own truth, to connect to something real. This is an ancient practice of sharing our stories and it’s perhaps the most revolutionary tool we have at our disposal.”

In addition to leading TMI Project workshops, Micah serves as the manager at GWI’s (Good Works Institute) Greenhouse Kingston, a yoga teacher at Mudita, and creator of DAY 1 (a New Year’s Day community event). He is on the board of Wild Earth (a non-profit Wilderness School), Radio Kingston, The Center for Creative Education, and O+ (a nonprofit health and wellness festival for artists and creators). He also serves as City of Kingston’s Art Commissioner at the Kingston Farmers Market.