USA Today Bestseller Kwana Jackson has been tapped by Oprah Magazine, ShondaLand and NPR for their Best Romance lists. A native New Yorker, Jackson (who also writes as K.M. Jackson) spent her formative years on the ‘A’ train where she had two dreams: 1) to be a fashion designer and 2) to be a writer. After spending over ten years designing women’s sportswear for various fashion houses, this self-proclaimed former fashionista took the leap of faith and decided to pursue her other dream of being a writer. She currently lives in a suburb of New York with her husband. You can find her online at www.kmjackson.com.

Austin Rivers, Founder, Board Chair, and President of Knit the Rainbow will speak about his organization. Founded in 2020 to”help homeless LGBTQ+ youth in New York City survive the brutal winter, KtR’s handmade garments are made with love by volunteers across the country and placed directly into the hands of those in need . . . . KtR has since expanded its activities to four states, and aims to provide clothing for homeless LGBTQ+ youth across the Nation.” Find out how you can support and help.  

Join us to hear Rebecca Bayreuther Donohue of Dirty Blue Shirts Living History share her knowledge regarding maritime communities. She will relay tales of maritime culture and the role that knitting played in the lives of these communities.

After more than 20 years at a major Connecticut maritime museum, she co-founded the Dirty Blue Shirts living history collective, whose participatory programs encompass everything from historic fashion & foodways to maritime culture & shipboard skills. She has knit historical garments in between setting sails aboard New Bedford whalers, splitting codfish aboard Grand Banks fishing schooners, and lounging on O’Day Mariners.

Her personal interest in historical hand-knitting stems from always being cold, no matter what century she’s interpreting. With all the plastic in today’s oceans, she thinks it’s time to revisit wool as the preeminent fiber of sustainability, versatility, and global community.

Please join us to hear Jayna Zweiman discuss the Welcome Blanket Project, According to Zweiman, “The project is accessible, transgenerational, and inclusive of all of our diverse stories. It weaves together a tapestry of our shared American narratives.”

Welcome Blanket is a crowdsourced artistic action and charitable effort supporting immigrants and refugees settling in the U.S. Makers around the country have created thousands of these welcome blankets — knitted, crocheted, quilted, etc., — with personal notes of welcome to the newcomers. Many of the blankets are made by people who themselves have been immigrants or refugees, and who share their experiences and advice with new arrivals. Zweiman said she hopes the blanket-making for immigrants and refugees will become another American tradition. In addition to providing a necessary household item, “Welcome Blanket makes space for difficult conversations about immigration and recontextualizes them with humanity.”  

Zweiman is an architecturally-trained multidisciplinary designer and social entrepreneur. Her independent practice combines architecture, art, craft and new media to focus on experiences that overlap physical, virtual and conceptual spaces. Her work is about civic intimacy, accessibility, and joy. She is the creator and founder of Welcome Blanket.