Poetry as Liberatory Practice: Writing Workshop
Full Tuition: $300 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select.
Instructor: Spratley | 5-weeks | Mondays | October 23 - November 20 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM ET | ONLINE
How can our words lead us to freedom? As poet, scholar, and activist adrienne maree brown says, “our imaginations […] are where we must seed the future, turn toward justice and liberation.” This generative poetry workshop will explore the work of contemporary poets whose writing expresses self-sovereignty, sanctity, nuance, and joy—and, in doing so, upends state-sanctioned white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. Our class will also provide space and guidance for students to create their own works through prompts and dedicated writing time.
We will ask ourselves how and why the poetry we read illuminates pasts, presents, and futures alternative to dominant structures. Can we conjure new futures, like poet Destiny Hemphill? Can we create space for love, as Chen Chen does? Our readings will center the work of these contemporary poets, along with others such as Nikky Finney, Shane McCrae, Ilya Kaminsky, Ellen Bass, Carl Philips, emet ezell, Paul Tran, and Jericho Brown. As we generate our own work, we will ask ourselves questions such as: what do we want to say, and to whom? How do our individual and collective experiences subvert the narratives we are fed through mainstream culture? How can our memories, imaginations, and desires serve as pathways for liberatory practice?
Each week, we will spend time reading, writing, and workshopping together. Students can expect to focus deeply on a handful of poems as a class, and may submit an optional poem for workshop, which will take place in small groups or pairs.
Classes are recorded to allow for students to participate asynchronously. If you want to take a class but cannot make the class time, sign up for the asynchronous audit option to follow along on your own. Recordings are password protected and will only be available for the duration of the class and two weeks after it ends.
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Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage, and your tuition goes toward supporting this practice. Please pick the payment tier that corresponds to your needs, and consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We will never request or require proof of need, and do not use an income-based sliding scale; we trust you to decide what payment tier is right for you. If you would like additional support deciding or would like to learn more about the practice of using a sliding scale, we recommend this resource from Embracing Equity.
We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class, and one full scholarship per person per term. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out or you would like to pay tuition on an installment basis, please email us directly, and we will work with you.
If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, please email us and we will reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After that point, we are able to offer 50% refunds.