nostalgia, sankofa, & reclamation
Sankofa is a word in the Twi language of Ghana that translates as "Go back and get it." Folks in this workshop will explore identity through narrative poetry. This intimate workshop causes for students to examine their personal and ancestral history as a to use a lens for their future. Existing at the intersection of nostalgia and reclamation, this powerful workshop will beckon folks to explore their own culture and identity as well as those around them.
GLORY: on radical self-love
In this world we live in, we are taught to not love the our skin, body, or even ideas. We are taught to not glorify ourselves, to be humble, to allow room for others to praise us but never to praise ourselves. This workshop will go against that grain and beckon for participants to glorify themselves. Using writings from Nikki Giovanni, Toni Morrison and Kendrick Lamar, This writing workshop seeks to establish a safe space within ourselves and use radical self-love to explore art in a way that offers up praise to the people we are and the people we are becoming.
portrait, persona & narratives
This is an introductory writing workshop. Using the work of Ross Gay, Patricia Smith and Nate Marshall, this workshop will explore poetic form and technique. This is a great resources for folks who identify as writers or who are looking for a introduction into poetry.
just because we’re magic...
At an awards ceremony in 2016, actor and humanitarian, Jessie Williams stated “Just because we’re magic, doesn't mean we are not real.” This workshop will indulge folks in magical realism as a tool to combat oppression. Participants will investigate the meaning of Afro-Futurism and use science fiction to as a form of creative resistance. By the end of the workshop, participants will produce a short fictional piece that indulges our imagination to tell a story of victory and triumph.
praise the body
This performance workshop will use a series of exercises and techniques to help bring a writer's work from the page to the stage! Giving life to the words we write and sharing them with our community via performance is a spiritual experience that heightens the senses surrounding our body and spatial proximity. Folks in this workshop will, how shall i say this, get free!
slam 101: coaching workshop
This workshop is perfect for folks with a slam poetry team or are interested in starting one. In addition to being a two-time poetry slam champion, Porsha O has been a finalist in four additional national and international slam poetry competitions. Under her coaching leadership, several teams and individual poets have been coached to final stages or a championship. Book this workshop with Porsha O and begin taking notes on performance, writing, and even slam strategy!
gate keepers: on examining privilege
For the last decade or so, college campuses have been the epicenter of cultural diversity and distress. Designed to combat problematic themed parties, misogyny, socio-economic discrepancies and other forms of oppression, this interactive workshops uses a fishbowl technique to examine privilege, oppression, and diversity on your college campus. Students in this radical healing workshop will begin the dialogue necessary for inclusion on college campuses.
the world we live in is a house on fire: on choreopoem
This team building workshop will use Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls as a lens and as introduction to the choreopoem. The choreopoem is a multi-voiced poem that uses coordinated movement and community theatre techniques. The workshop is recommended for a slam poetry teams or student groups and organizations interested in team building exercises.