Literature lovers, There is so much happening on the Stoop that I thought it best to skip the preamble and get right into it! |
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Applications for Power to the Pen: Writing for Revolution close February 23. These highly-subsidized classes are open to adult students of all backgrounds and skill levels. Those earning $20-40k/year and anyone impacted by the UArts closure will be offered 50% scholarships. Those earning less than $20k/year will be offered full scholarships. A small number of full-priced seats are also available. Here are the class options: Poetry as Resistance: Crafting Your Revolutionary Voice, with Saskia Kercy 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. Write an Essay Clean as a Bone, with Nicole Young 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. |
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Classes are filling quickly, so don't wait to register! Financial aid and payment plans are available, as always. Assuming they don't sell out early, here are the deadlines for registration: |
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- Tuesday, 2/11, 1:00 pm ET: Author Mentorships: Getting the Most Out of the Experience. This event is hosted by the Authors Guild, and co-sponsored by Blue Stoop. “Do you want to learn from an experienced mentor—or give back to the writing community by mentoring an emerging writer? Drawing on personal experience with writing mentorship programs and community organizations, our panelists will address what curious writers should know about becoming either a mentor or mentee.” (FREE/VIRTUAL)
- Wednesday, 2/12, 3:30 – 5:30 pm ET: Creative Coworking on Zoom. A generative virtual drop-in session with peers. Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life. We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. (FREE/VIRTUAL)
- Thursday, 2/13, 4:00 – 5:00 pm ET: Thursdays on the Stoop presents "Poetry as Pleasure" w/ Amir Methvin. This free hour-long workshop uses reflective exercises and poetry to explore how sexual and non-sexual pleasure can be a pathway to personal and collective liberation. Grounded in the teachings of Audre Lorde, bell hooks, and Adrienne Maree Brown, we'll use poetic expression to reclaim our right to sensuality and to challenge systems of oppression. (FREE/VIRTUAL)
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In solidarity, Julian Shendelman
Co-Director P.S. Looking for more local literary connections? Check out our community calendar and resource pages. |
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THE MOTHERLODE RETREAT:
MASTERING THE ART OF WRITING ABOUT OUR MOTHERS April 27 to May 1, 2025. Boyd’s Mill, Pennsylvania. Delve into the heart of your matrilineal story at The Motherlode Retreat, a transformative five-day writing experience in the tranquil foothills of the Poconos. Co-hosted by acclaimed writer and facilitator Amy Shearn, and writer, instructor and writing coach, Diana Friedman, The Motherlode Retreat is for writers of all levels looking to explore their complex relationships with their mothers. Through facilitated discussions, generative prompts, and craft workshops, we’ll examine themes such as the mother wound, inherited narratives, and how to transform personal experiences into powerful writing. Whether you're crafting fiction, memoir, poetry, or plays, this retreat provides a safe, supportive space to deepen your writing and bring your stories to life. |
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Got an event, organization, business, or book to promote? |
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~~~~~~~~~ Event title Marie Benedict Celebrates "The Queens of Crime" Start time 2/11/2025 6:00pm Location Barnes & Noble 1708 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Description Link Contact info (267) 234-9790 Cost $31.32 ~~~~~~~~~ Event title Atop An Underwood #8 Start time 2/11/2025 6:00pm Location Philly Typewriter (1735 E Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19148) Description Join us at Philly Typewriter on Tuesday, February 11th at 6pm for the Atop An Underwood Reading Series #8. Hosted by Dream Poet For Hire We return to Philly Typewriter with jazz poems, travel stories, and songs of empowerment. We’ll channel the counterculture of the Beat Generation in community and spoken word. In addition, the typewriters will be set up to write an original scroll like Jack Kerouac’s On The Road together. All are welcome. Aspiring beatniks, dharma bums, and general poetry lovers encouraged. Come for the featured readers and stay for the open mic. A perfect community to try your hands at a typewriter and find your voice in a poem. Featured performer includes: Amber Renee, Julia Daye, and Christopher K.P. Brown. Refreshments will be provided. Bring your friends. Doors at 6pm. Open mic starts at 6:30pm. Philly Typewriter is a wheelchair accessible venue. Link Contact info dreampoetforhire@gmail.com Cost Free ~~~~~~~~~ Event title Galentine's Book Party with Nancy Reddy, Jo Piazza and Xio Axelrod at Inkwood Books, Haddonfield, NJ Start time 2/13/2025 7:00pm Location Inkwood Books, 106 Kings Highway, East Haddonfield, NJ, 08033 Description Bring your Galentine and join Nancy Reddy, author of The Good Mother Myth, Jo Piazza, author of The Sicilian Inheritance, and Xio Axelrod, author of Girls With Bad Reputations, for a conversation about the lifesaving power of female friendship. Drinks, treats, raffles, and giveaways included! Link Contact info Cost Free ~~~~~~~~~ Event title Valentine Poetry Sharing Circle Start time 2/15/2025 4:00pm Location Park Avenue Community Center, 129 Park Avenue, Swarthmore, PA, 19081 Description Share your poetry love. Can't stop thinking about that poem by Keats, Hayden, or Dickinson? Or one by Diane Seuss, Ross Gay or Ocean Vuong? Maybe you even know that special poem by heart. Bring a printed copy of a poem that you love to read or memorize one to recite. We will begin the event with our featured poet Darla reading one of their favorites and sharing some of their own work. We will end with an open mic. You are invited to sign up to read your own poem. Link Contact info info@thepac.center Cost Donation requested ~~~~~~~~~ Event title Creating from Mother Myths - Mothering Our Truths Start time 2/15/2025 4:30pm Location Philadelphia Small Works Gallery, 1609 N. Delaware Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125 Description Who are your peoples? What myths entangle themselves in your genetic code and cultural rooting? In this workshop, we consider ancestral mythologies and what they have to teach us about mothering as opposed to contemporary texts about revolutionary mothering. Through discussion and play (there will be coloring books!), we will ultimately return to the page to write the truth of mothering that defies the myth. ~Saturday, February 15 - 4:30-5:30 pm ~$25-40 🔗 ~Free parking across the street or around the corner on Susquehanna ~Accessibility info: One half-step at entrance; bathroom is not wheelchair accessible ~Masks optional Link Contact info heather.b@philadelphiasmallworks.com Cost Sliding scale $25-40 |
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1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300
Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States |
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