Spells, Incantations, and Rituals: A Generative Poetry Workshop [6-weeks, $250 Suggested]

Instructor: Hunter | Thursdays, January 20-February 24 | 7:00-9:00 PM ET

Abracadabra, the magician’s exclamation, means “I will create what I speak.” Magic requires directing language towards creation. How can we create and imbue rituals with intention, in a way that frames the future with the energy of our commitment? For many, the act of writing is a ritual in itself, a place we go to process, interpret and enrich our experiences. In this class, we’ll dissect some common writing rituals and carve out some of our own to unlock our creativity and unblock our intention—ensuring a safe, possible place for our own writing to appear and grow. We’ll engage with the potency of presence by creating and practicing incantations, consider the necessity of being present as you write, and how adding the sound of your voice to your words is enchantment.

We’ll also discuss our contemporary fascination with these ideas and find out how we can use them to inform and inspire our writing lives. Through analysis, discussion, and understanding, we’ll discover tools to unlock the inherent mystical capacity of our words. We’ll consider how people in marginalized communities have a long history of creating spaces of power through magical and spiritual practices, and as we investigate these histories, we’ll discuss what it means to engage in this work as or alongside differently-abled, LGBTQIA+, and/or BIPOC identities.

We’ll read contemporary spells, meditations and essays by writers such as Carolina Ebeid, Becca Klaver, Lisa Marie Basile, Candace Williams, Cindy Williams Gutiérrez, Andrea Rexilius, CA Conrad, Janaka Stucky, Rita Dove and more.

[Photo Credit: Patrick Hunter]

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We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees.

If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.