Characters at Play

Dearest ink-shedders,   It's a big week here at Blue Stoop. Registration and applications are closing for multiple classes, so if you've been considering diving into the world of poetry, fiction, or essay writing, this is your sign to take action!   We've extended the deadline to register to Hiwot Adilow's class, Between Language & Music: Black Acoustemologies. Registration will officially close TODAY, 2/18 at 5:30pm ET.  Also, registration for Sam Heaps's class, The Tipping Point: Writing Choice as Scene closes in just a few short days on Friday, 2/21. Financial aid for both classes is still available! And even if you're not eligible for aid, you can still use the promo code FIN10 to save 10%.    Most of our classes do not require applications, with the exception of Power to the Pen: Writing for Revolution. Applications for this grant-funded program will close Sunday, 2/23. Participants will choose from 2 classes: Poetry as Resistance: Crafting Your Revolutionary Voice with Saskia Kercy, and Write an Essay Clean as a Bone with Nicole Young. 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. We're happy to offer payment plans to anyone who wants one.   APPLY FOR “POWER TO THE PEN” ON AIR WITH BLUE STOOP In other news, we had the pleasure of curating a lineup for Live @ The Writers House, a Kelly Writers House program that aired on WXPN the evening of February 6th. The reading featured several of our past teachers, with writing from Kale Choo Hanson, Enoch, Andee Hochman, Chukwuma Ndulue, and Edythe Rodriguez and live music from Huey, the Cosmonaut.  LISTEN TO THE RECORDING You can catch Taylor and I again this Thursday, 2/20 on WURD Radio for a short interview with Dr. James Peterson. Evening WURDS runs from 4:00-7:00pm, and we anticipate being live around 5:15pm ET. Listen via the WURD website or by tuning your radio to 96.1 FM or 900 AM.  ON THE STOOP Wednesday, 2/19, 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, 2/20, 4:00 – 5:00 pm ET: Thursdays on the Stoop presents “Characters at Play” with C.P. Jude. This free hour-long workshop explores how writing depictions of play — sports, games, make-believe, and other cooperative and competitive activities — can produce compelling scenes, characters, and dynamics. We'll analyze examples from film, prose, and poetry; respond to writing prompts; and discuss our goals and inspirations. (FREE/VIRTUAL) In solidarity,   Julian Shendelman Co-Director   P.S. Looking for more local literary connections? Check out our community calendar and resource pages. SUPPORT BLUE STOOP CLASSIFIEDS 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.   Early Bird Discount: Book by February 25th for 10% tuition discount. Learn more and secure your spot: The Motherlode Retreat: Mastering the Art of Writing About our Mothers. Got an event, organization, business, or book to promote?  Blue Stoop offers affordable ad space here and on our website.  BEYOND THE STOOP   Here's a quick excerpt from our community calendar. Adding an event is easy and free! ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Writers in Camden: Paul Lisicky & Elizabeth McCracken   Start time 2/20/2025 6:00pm   Location Rutgers-Camden Campus Center   Description Acclaimed authors Elizabeth McCracken and Paul Lisicky, MFA Professor, will read from their work. Free admission. Registration encouraged. Refreshments provided. Books available for purchase.   Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/writers-in-camden-paul-lisicky-elizabeth-mccracken-tickets-1116741025469?aff=oddtdtcreator   Contact info writers@camden.rutgers.edu   Cost Free, registration encouraged   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Mother Archive: Reading and Conversation with Erika Morillo and Irit Reinheimer   Start time 2/20/2025 7:00pm   Location The Head & The Hand Bookstore, 2230 Frankford Avenue   Description Join us at The Head and The Hand on February 20 at 7-8pm  for a reading and conversation about Mother Archive, the debut image-text memoir by writer and photographer Erika Morillo. Erika will be in conversation with Philly-based artist and writer Irit Reinheimer, discussing the use of photography to understand mothering, memory, and identity in the context of the Dominican-American immigrant experience. Signed copies of the book will be available.   Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mother-archive-a-conversation-with-erika-morillo-and-irit-reinheimer-tickets-1222835466799?aff=oddtdtcreator   Contact info events@theheadandthehand.com   Cost $0   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title 5-3-5 Poetry Salon   Start time 2/22/2025 5:35pm   Location West Philly. RSVP for address: tinyurl.com/3wkp85zd   Description Our next 5-3-5 poetry salon will take place on Saturday, February 22, with incredible featured readers Huda Fakhreddine, Raina J. León, and Elizabeth Scanlon. 5-3-5 is a dynamic night that includes featured readers, poems we love, and a generative poetry game. There will be an opportunity for folks to read poems by others (i.e., bring a copy of your favorite Tracy K. Smith piece, your top Dickinson, your Diane Seuss sonnet, etc.), and also a chance to generate new work through a creative, light-hearted poetry game. So, bring a notebook and pen, and if you feel so inclined, a drink or snack to share.    Here's the RSVP form to fill out for the address. We'll be gathering in West Philly. Feel free to invite friends and beloved local writers!   Link tinyurl.com/3wkp85zd   Contact info Mónica Gomery (monicagomery@gmail.com) and Moriel Rothman-Zecher (moriel18@gmail.com)   Cost Free! We'll pass a hat for the featured readers.   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Free Library of Philadelphia Monday Poets 30th Anniversary Season   Start time 2/24/2025 5:30pm   Location Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library   Description Join the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Literature Department in celebrating the 30th Anniversary season of Monday Poets. This year’s theme is Sankofa (SAHN-koh-fah), a Twi word from the Akan Tribe of Ghana which loosely implies that to move forward, one must “go back and get it”. In that spirit we will be celebrating at each event a past Monday Poet and introduce a new one. Each month from September 2024 to April 2025 a new Sankofa pair will read at a new library. Monday Poets exists to inspire and connect poets and community members across the city of Philadelphia. This program, hosted by Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library, is free and open to the public.   Previous Monday Poet: Trapeta B. Mayson New Monday Poet: 王潇/Evan Wang   Link https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/141073   Contact info ereflit@freelibrary.org   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Atop An Underwood #8   Start time 2/25/2025 6:00pm   Location Philly Typewriter (1735 E Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19148)   Description Join us at Philly Typewriter on Tuesday, February 25th 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 performers include: 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 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/atop-an-underwood-reading-series-8-hosted-by-dream-poet-for-hire-tickets-1222881624859   Contact info dreampoetforhire@gmail.com   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~ VIEW MORE EVENTS 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences