Maurisa Li-A-Ping, M.S.Ed., M.F.A

My journey began with poetry; it was one of my first languages for making sense of the world. I began writing around 12 years old, and I was slamming competitively by the time I was 15.

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My passion and commitment to poetry opened doors. It led to a fully-funded scholarship at St. John’s University, where I became curious about how identity, belonging, and community shape who students become. This curiosity inspired me to further my education in Higher Education Student Affairs at Indiana University. At IU, I explored how poetry and creative practices deepen belonging and develop critical consciousness.​

 

As I worked with educators in higher education and organizational leaders in the non-profit sector, I noticed that best practices for organizational success often overlooked creative and somatic wisdom. In organizations' problem-solving, they were relying exclusively on metrics and frameworks, while ignoring how the work felt in their bodies, and it showed. Learning Praxis Consulting emerged from this realization. We bridge organizational data with somatic practices to help team members lead from a place of presence versus burnout.

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As Learning Praxis grew, I continued to deepen my creative writing practice. I was awarded a Nancy Craig Blackburn Fellowship in Randolph College's Creative Writing MFA program. At Randolph, I began to explore: What might it feel like to make more space to honor the interiority of Black Queer Women, our tenderness, our longing, our quiet, not just our strength and survival.

 

That question shaped my creative work and led to the creation of Tulips in the Garden: A Black Queer Supper Club. We are a soft landing space for Black Queer millennials in Durham, North Carolina. We queer Sunday dinner, celebrate Black Queer joy, and engage in place-based solidarity. 

 

When I’m not writing, facilitating retreats, or stewarding community, you’ll find me on a trail walk, painting my nails pink, or teaching yoga.