Class Description
Because poetry, by definition, is political, even the choice to write apolitical poetry is a political one. In this workshop, we will develop our writing craft while engaging in revolutionary political education, specifically as it relates to the Black Power and Black Arts Movements. Over the course of four sessions, we will read, watch, and listen to poetry, speeches, essays and music from iconic revolutionaries in an effort to truly understand the role of a revolutionary, the "role of the artist," and when, where and how these roles intersect.
Expect to explore works from icons such as Assata Shakur, Gwendolyn Brooks, Amiri Baraka, June Jordan, Malcolm X, Audre Lorde and Kwame Ture, among others. We will also explore works by modern poets with revolutionary themes such as Tongo-Eisen Martin, Danez Smith, Safia Elhillo, Hanif Abdurraqib and others.
This workshop will encourage writers to reflect on and articulate their own lived practices outside of their writing. We will identify when and how those practices show up in our writing choices. We will also use text, media, theory and discussion to inform and challenge our points of view and our understanding of how our political lifestyles impact how we show up as artists and, inevitably, how we show up as humans.
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. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.