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  • Workshop
  • Online: Zoom
  • Adult (18+)
  • 5 Weeks

Poetry and Whiteness

No Longer Enrolling

  • $355.00 Non-Member
  • $340.00 Member

Class Description

This workshop will follow Claudia Rankine's call for a renewed inquiry into the relationship between whiteness and the making of art. We will read essays from Rankine and Beth Loffreda's The Racial Imaginary and spend the first workshops delving into the new Racial Imaginary Institute's inaugural "Whiteness Issue." Our primary objective, however, is creative: to make poems that wrestle imaginatively and openly with experiences with race, racism, and racialization. One of the workshop's secondary goals is to engage with the social fact that racial perceptions often organize our experience of public life. That said, this is not a class about white guilt, white vulnerability, or white feminism. Rather, it puts forward the idea that poetry can open up all of three of these concepts. This class invites students to think hard about the souls of white folk, in W.E.B. Du Bois's memorable phrase, in the twenty-first century. It also invites students to grapple with the changing meaning of whiteness publicly, together, in the presence of others. Each week, students will write and workshop new poems. Students will also be assigned short readings and writing prompts. Additional readings will be recommended for those who want to pursue this work further.

This course is for students of any background, race, or identity. Other than an open mind and a willingness to challenge one's assumptions, there are no requirements for attendance. Students are not required to have experience writing about race.

Did you know that we have scholarships available for all GrubStreet classes? To apply, click the "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button in the top right corner of this page. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your scholarship application and await our Scholarship Committee's decision before registering for the class. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

Scholarships Format/Location

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. Please visit the Resources tab to access the video-conference link.

Zoom Participation:

Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.

Zoom Accessibility:

We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!