Claudine Cheatem, MFA

Sis, You Need Her Messages

Disenfranchised grief — grief that is dismissed, minimized, or left unnamed — is pervasive among Black women and reinforced by cultural expectations to be strong, self-sacrificing, and continuously productive. With only 10.3% of Black women accessing formal mental health services, unprocessed grief frequently contributes to physical and mental health crises and long-term impacts that disrupt well-being and participation at home and at work.

Weep, Wail, Write emerged from the dual necessity of the creator’s own healing and the completion of her Master of Fine Arts degree, grounding the session in both lived experience and professional training. Designed as a structured 90-minute writing-based experience, the session creates a culturally affirming pause for Black women to process grief safely, release its internalized effects, and reshape their relationship with loss. Participants leave with greater clarity, emotional steadiness, and a renewed sense of agency that supports healthier engagement and healthier lives.

What You'll Be Able to Do!

Use writing to process grief.
Face your grief without fear.
Recognize grief as something that no longer derails their life - a life accessory not the whole outfit - a “go-along”.

Who She Is

Claudine Cheatem, MFA, is a master storyteller, playwright, poet, emcee, and woman inspirer whose work sits at the powerful intersection of laughter, truth, and transformation. Known for making audiences laugh while they heal — and think while they laugh — Claudine has a rare gift for telling stories that disarm, empower, and then lovingly challenge women to choose themselves more boldly. Her presence is magnetic, her humor sharp, and her message unforgettable. When Claudine takes the microphone, she doesn’t just perform — she activates people, leaving them clearer, braver, and more willing to act in their own best interest.

A lifelong writer and performer, Claudine is the author and playwright of Jamaica’s Kaleidoscope, a book and stage production that reflects her signature blend of grit, wit, and unflinching honesty about womanhood, survival, and self-determination. As a spoken-word artist and emcee, she is as comfortable commanding a room as Michael Jordan is on a basketball court — the microphone is her home. She invites women to laugh at what hurt, name what didn’t work, admit missteps without shame, and then walk away with what often feels like marching orders: clearer boundaries, wiser choices, and renewed authority over their own lives. Claudine earned her Master of Fine Arts degree at the age of 64, a testament to her staying power, courage, and belief that it is never too late to claim your voice.

Claudine’s passion for words began in childhood. Born the seventh of fifteen children, she was introduced early to the one place with no restrictions — the library — and told she could “go as much as you want, stay as long as you want.” That freedom changed her life. To this day, the library remains her favorite place in the world because it opens up entire worlds by putting them right at your fingertips — peoples, places, perspectives — all there for your asking. Her guiding motto reflects that truth: “If there’s something that you need to know, there’s a book for it. And if there isn’t a book, that’s your opportunity to write it.” That belief pulses through everything she does. Claudine doesn’t just tell stories — she gives women permission to claim theirs, laugh through them, learn from them, and then go change their lives.

For more information, email her at ccheatem2007@yahoo.com.