the akanthology
akantho
/
logy
thorns
to gather or collect
Anthology is Greek for "a gathering of flowers" (anthos = flowers; legein = gather).
Replace antho with akantha (thorn or spines), and you have an akanthology:
A gathering of thorns.
This collection of writing promises to be bold, dangerous, edgy, and beautiful.
To challenge as much as it inspires.
Welcome to The Akanthology.
WHAT STORIES
Would we
tell
if
we were
not afraid?
WHAT
9 months of creative development
~12 emerging voices
2 live stages: LA & the SF Bay Area
The Akanthology is a writing residency and live production that supports women and nonbinary storytellers of color as they claim space, develop original solo work, and perform live.
WHY
Every day, our communities face systemic, violent, and silencing attacks. In times like these, telling our stories is a radical act.
Through The Akanthology, we face what scares us most and transform narratives of fear into lightning rods of community connection.
This is a joyful reckoning — proof that we do not have to live in fear and isolation, but can connect in collective power.
CINDY CHEN
Director,
Strategy
WHO
We are a collective of women working across entertainment, tech, education, narrative change, and community organizing. We are immigrants, queer creators, parents, artists, and entrepreneurs united by a conviction: unspoken, unseen, and undermined stories have the power to transform ourselves, our communities,
and our world.
JUSTINE RIVERO
Executive Producer
TANIA LEE
Director,
Funding & Development
Artistic Director,
Residency
TERISA SIAGATONU
Artistic Director,
Performance
KAT EVASCO
THE RESIDENCY BEGINS SEPTEMBER 2026.
BE PART OF IT.
Our main virtual residency is currently invite-only—but we aren't gatekeeping. We’re launching a parallel Open-Source Community Residency for BIPOC women and nonbinary emerging creatives.
We're sharing our entire curriculum, prompts, and process in real-time so you can create alongside us.
Because traditional creative spaces are broken. They aren't beginner-friendly, they're inaccessible, and they treat creativity like a closed club. It sucks doing it alone.
So let’s experiment, hold each other accountable, and prove our core hypothesis: when we create collectively, our communities prosper.
Do you identify as a woman/nonbinary storyteller of color? Do you crave community and connection, rooted in creativity? Want to play?
That story you want to tell is ready to meet the world. You belong here. Come hang with us!