Massachusetts Statewide Poetry Calendar 2

Since the onset of the pandemic, many of us have been struggling with anxiety and fear. In more recent weeks, many of us have been struggling with rage and hope as social justice and violence sweep across America. In this poetry workshop, we will take the term “Shelter-In-Place” as a directive to "Take Solace in Place," investigating how to more deeply see the places we live and how we live in them.

By engaging specifically with Place through poetry, this workshop is an opportunity to become re-centered during this time of uncertainty, clarify our process, and to deepen meaning in our day-to-day lives. We will engage newly with what is outside of our windows at present. What does it mean to be here, now, and what before this particular moment in time might we have overlooked?

Each class includes the following, related to the idea of Place:

A short group meditation
Reading and discussion of the craft in poems by authors such as Terrance Hayes, Natalie Diaz, Marilyn Nelson, and Ted Kooser
In-class writing prompts and sharing new work (sharing work is totally optional!)
Free-writing in response to recorded poems by authors such as Natasha Trethewey and Walt Whitman
And more !!

Space is limited to 15 participants, in order to foster a warm and safe space for connectivity and community. No writing experience is necessary, and this class is open to anyone ages 14 and up. Participants should attempt to be as close to a favorite window as possible during class, as you may want, from time to time, to gaze outwards…! Come prepared with a writing utensil and a notebook. Readings and audio will be screen-shared, as well as being searchable online or distributed to participants via email.

Class Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shelter-in-place-writing-where-we-are-7-week-poetry-workshop-tickets-106439708032

July 10 from 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm PST
July 17 from 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm PST
July 24 from 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm PST
July 31 from 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm PST
August 7 from 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm PST
August 14 from 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm PST
August 21 from 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm PST
Registration for the full seven weeks is open now! If space allows, registration for individual classes will open on June 5.

About your instructor: Sophie Klahr

Sophie Klahr is a poet and educator who prefers to be outdoors, and finds herself writing mostly about spirituality, animals, land, gender, and desire. She is the author of Meet Me Here at Dawn (YesYes Books) and her poems can be found in publications such as The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, Poetry London, Ploughshares, Poetry Ireland Review, and elsewhere. The 2019-2020 Kenan Visiting Writer at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Sophie is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from the Atlantic Center for the Arts and the Stadler Center for Poetry and Literary Arts. She is a recurrent long-term artist-in-residence at Art Farm, a residency in rural Nebraska, where her favorite bedroom is the highest point for miles and miles and miles.