Poetry as Resistance: Crafting Your Revolutionary Voice

Informed by and committed to Black radical tradition, “Poetry as Resistance” is a transformative 3-week workshop that delves deep into the power of revolutionary literature. Participants will explore the works of influential poets and writers who have used their craft to advocate for justice, liberation, and change. Each week, we will focus on a different figure or set of figures, examining their contributions and how their words continue to resonate today. Participants will engage in critical analysis, political discourse, and creative writing exercises designed to inspire their own poetic expressions of resistance. This workshop is open to writers of all backgrounds and experience levels.

Instructor: Saskia is a scholar-activist, educator, and writer from Philadelphia by way of Haiti. A master of economics with accolades in research and poetry, she has been published in the Sadie Collective, the Amistad, the Washington Informer, and the Root, among others. Saskia is an Anaphora Literary Arts Fellow and teaches poetry, social studies, and economics. An eldest daughter and world traveler, she is an organizer with the Black Alliance for Peace. More from her @saskiakercy and bysaskia.co.

Write an Essay Clean as a Bone

Good writing aims to balance economy and embellishment to produce prose that sings, while making the message clear. James Baldwin, one of America's most skilled essayists, once said, “Write a sentence clean as a bone. That is the goal.” Over the course of this 3-week class, we will use this guidance to trim the excess of our story, tighten the muscle of our argument, and strengthen our broader claims. At the end of this course, participants will walk away with a draft of a nonfiction essay as well as the tools needed to continue writing on their own. This workshop is open to writers of all backgrounds and experience levels.

Instructor: Nicole Young is a writer and artist whose non-fiction work has been featured in Elle, YES!, Vox, Scalawag, and Bitch magazines. She’s a part of the editorial team of Jacaranda Books, working to bring a non-fiction book series on Black American culture to life. She attended the 2024 Tin House Summer Workshop and was selected as an Aspen Summer Words Emerging Writers Fellow in 2023. Nicole previously served as a writer at The African American Policy Forum, co-host of the Kidlit These Days and Worth Noting podcasts, and contributing editor for Book Riot Media. In addition to her freelance writing, Nicole is dreaming up fantastical worlds for middle grade and young adult readers in her fiction novels and short stories.