Keith F. Miller, Jr.

Memories that Bind

For The Storyteller, a self-proclaimed mama's boy, helping his extravagantly poised mother dress for the evening before she headed out with his father was one o... Go Deeper

Terrence

Terrence, a late-thirtysomething who lives in the DMV area, knows what it means to support those he cares about. An activist, super-connector, and socialite, h... Go Deeper

Finding Myself, Again

Much of our lives is about making decisions--right ones and what some would call wrong ones. But is there really such a thing as a wrong choice, if it, too, lea... Go Deeper

Men Have Emotions, Too

It’s easy to underestimate the importance of intimacy and things like pillow talk. It’s not exactly something that men are told is our forté; it’s often depicte... Go Deeper

More Than the Clothes You Wear

We like to think that masculinity is something that is fixed and concrete. But it isn’t. And even when some of us have been privileged enough to have men in ou... Go Deeper

Emanz

Emanz is an early-twentysomething who bounced back and forth between New York City and Jamaica for most of his life, and now resides in California. From the be... Go Deeper

When It Just Doesn’t Add Up

In relationships, it’s a given that there will be challenges. Mountains you’ll have to climb. Obstacles meant to make you both stronger. But what happens when ... Go Deeper

When People See Me

It doesn’t take much for us to make assumptions about people. But what is it exactly about attractive people that makes us automatically assume they are stuck u... Go Deeper

Bevin

Bevin, an early-twentysomething from Texas, is at once thoughtful and inquisitive, especially when it comes to discussing masculinity and this whole thing we li... Go Deeper

Adam

Adam, a mid-twentysomething of white and Korean descent, has thought a lot about how he’s become the man he is today. From rethinking his own standards of beau... Go Deeper

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The Healing Literacy Framework

In 2019, Keith F. Miller, Jr., observed something remarkable while running creative writing after school programs in Savannah, GA: Students from all backgrounds didn’t just step outside their comfort zones—they learned, led, and thrived with unmistakable joy. Despite this, Keith heard from students and families that school, even for the high-achievers, was a place they survived, not thrived. This led Keith, through his studies in Educational Psychology, to explore why young people felt empowered to learn, lead, and heal in some spaces but not in others.

Through a qualitative research study involving interviews with high schoolers, fellow teaching artists over a year, in addition to examining creative works from youth journals and performances, Keith found that when young people engage in arts-based healing practices with trusted others (peers and adults), they don’t just cope with their struggles—they transform them, becoming vibrant leaders in the process.

Drawing inspiration from the process of rainbow formation—reflection, refraction, and dispersion—and building off of groundbreaking research from scholars like David Kirkland, Gholdy Muhammad, Bettina Love, Bianca Baldridge, and Shawn Ginwright, Keith developed the Healing Literacy Framework, illustrating how arts-based, community programs are vital in supporting young people as they overcome educational trauma, and, in doing so, can result in transformative partnerships in school and beyond that prove healing is possible for everyone.

Enter, HEALIT

In 2019, Keith F. Miller, Jr., observed something remarkable while running creative writing after school programs in Savannah, GA: Students from all backgrounds didn’t just step outside their comfort zones—they learned, led, and thrived with unmistakable joy. Despite this, Keith heard from students and families that school, even for the high-achievers, was a place they survived, not thrived. This led Keith, through his studies in Educational Psychology, to explore why young people felt empowered to learn, lead, and heal in some spaces but not in others.

Through a qualitative research study involving interviews with high schoolers, fellow teaching artists over a year, in addition to examining creative works from youth journals and performances, Keith found that when young people engage in arts-based healing practices with trusted others (peers and adults), they don’t just cope with their struggles—they transform them, becoming vibrant leaders in the process.

Drawing inspiration from the process of rainbow formation—reflection, refraction, and dispersion—and building off of groundbreaking research from scholars like David Kirkland, Gholdy Muhammad, Bettina Love, Bianca Baldridge, and Shawn Ginwright, Keith developed the Healing Literacy Framework, illustrating how arts-based, community programs are vital in supporting young people as they overcome educational trauma, and, in doing so, can result in transformative partnerships in school and beyond that prove healing is possible for everyone.