Medium 🔮 vs. Message 💌

Dearest ink-shedders,   A confession: reading Shakespeare in print makes my eyes glaze over. One sentence in and my brain tosses up a big orange ROAD CLOSED sign. But after watching a filmed performance of the classic “To be, or not to be” monologue from Hamlet, I've started seeing the Bard in a new light. It just goes to show that good delivery can totally transform the written word, adding new dimension and emotional weight to even the driest text (sorry, William).   For some writers, print simply isn't the best medium for the message. But live performance can be intimidating for a population prone to introversion. Even the extroverts among us don't emerge from the womb, mic in hand. What's a writer to do?   Becoming a skilled performer takes practice and support. Which is why you should enroll in "Beyond the Page: Performance Skills for Poets" with Dimitri Reyes. In this immersive 3-week workshop in Center City, Philadelphia, participants will learn strategies for structuring and performing impactful poems by studying the Black Arts, Nuyorican, and Breakbeat movements. Through manipulating pacing, pauses, rhyme, and rhythm, students of all experience levels and poetic genres will generate new material and gain experience performing work that is transformative for writers and audiences alike.   Each week, the first hour will be dedicated to discussion, instruction, and activities, while the second hour will be dedicated to generating new work and sharing with peers. All workshop materials will be written in class. In just 3 sessions, students will develop a newfound command of their voice and a better understanding of how artistic decisions, on and off the page, can impact the audience.    All tiers of financial aid (25% off, 50% off, and the full merit scholarship) are still available, as are payment plans. Check out our FAQ, and let us know if you still have any lingering questions.    About the instructor: Dimitri Reyes is a Boricua multidisciplinary artist, content creator, and educator from Newark, New Jersey. He has been named one of The Best New Latinx Authors of 2023 by LatinoStories.com for his most recent book, Papi Pichón (Get Fresh Books, 2023) which was a finalist for the Omnidawn chapbook contest and the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize. His other books include Every First and Fifteenth, the winner of the Digging Press 2020 Chapbook Award, and the poetry journal Shadow Work for Poets, now available on Amazon. Dimitri's work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net and you can find more of his writing in Poem-a-Day, Vinyl, Kweli, & Acentos.    ON THE STOOP Wednesday, 3/12, 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, 3/13, 4:00 – 5:00 pm ET: Thursdays on the Stoop presents "Crafting the Online Essay" with Natalie Crystal. From LiveJournal to Substack, blogs have come a long way. In this free, hour-long workshop, we'll explore strategies for writing online personal essays, options for free self-publishing platforms, and tips for establishing a posting routine. Expect a generative writing prompt and group discussion, as well as a Q&A, if time permits. (FREE/VIRTUAL)   Time is running out! Financial aid and payment plans are still available in our remaining spring classes: Beyond the Page: Performance Skills for Poets with Dimitri Reyes, and From Query to Collaboration: How to Get an Agent with Eshani Surya and Elizabeth Greenspan. Tuition ranges from $20–$225 depending on the class length and your income level. Claim your seat today! 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 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 Moonstone Poetry: catch breath, Amanda Giordano Herrera, and Matthew Sekellick   Start time 3/12/2025 7:00pm   Location Fergie's Pub, 1214 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA 19107   Description The Moonstone Arts Center will present an evening of poetry at Fergie's Pub, featuring catch breath, Amanda Giordano Herrera, and Matthew Sekellick! --- Hosted by Amy Saul-Zerby, open mic to follow the featured readers!   Link https://www.facebook.com/events/1136390211301941   Contact info amysaulzerby@gmail.com   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Shayne Terry Presents Leave: A Postpartum Account, with Jiordan Castle   Start time 3/13/2025 6:30pm   Location The Head & The Hand Bookstore   Description Join us for the Philadelphia launch of Shayne Terry's Leave: A Postpartum Account, out now from Autofocus Books. Shayne will be in conversation with Jiordan Castle, author of Disappearing Act. The two will discuss their books, the craft of writing about real people, and resisting the conventions of traditional memoir. Literary friendship will be abundant and refreshments will be served.   Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/author-event-shayne-terry-leave-a-postpartum-account-tickets-1221705537149?aff=oddtdtcreator   Contact info events@theheadandthehand.com   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title ADSS Versescape: Thoughts and Feelings About BEing HUMAN   Start time 3/15/2025 7:00pm   Location Small Works Gallery: 1609 North Delaware Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19125   Description Poetry is no longer restrained to the page. Step inside the first-ever ADSS Versescape: Thoughts and Feelings About BEing HUMAN at Small Works Gallery.    This isn’t just an art show. It’s a shift in how we experience language itself. Created by South Philadelphia-based artist and innovator ADSS (All Different Shapes + Sizes), the Versescape is an immersive poetry experience—where words don’t just speak, they surround, interact, and come alive. At its core is Experiential Language Architecture (ELA)—a new approach to language that treats words as building materials for interactive experiences. Through performance, design, and audience participation, you’ll see firsthand how language can shape space, forge connection, and spark entirely new ways of thinking. Get ready to step into a world where poetry breaks every boundary.   ~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 ~No outside beverages   Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/adss-versescape-thoughts-and-feelings-about-being-human-registration-1236673185789   Contact info https://www.philadelphiasmallworks.com/contact   Cost $15-25   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Wild Indigo Presents Kai Davis & Kathy Engel   Start time 3/16/2025 5:00pm   Location Young American Cider, 6350 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia PA   Description Getting into the March groove with Wild Indigo Poetry with Philly Poet Laureate Kai Davis and New York poet-activist Kathy Engel on March 16th, 5-7pm, at Young American Hard Cider & Tasting Room, always with an open mic open to the community. Come out and share your truth!   Books sales by Uncle Bobbie's Books! The venue is wheelchair accessible and Wild Indigo is mask friendly. Masks will be available at the door. We'll also have an air purifier running throughout the event.   Link https://bit.ly/wildindigoseries   Contact info wildindigo.poetry@gmail.com   Cost $5 suggested donation   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Free Library of Philadelphia Monday Poets 30th Anniversary Season   Start time 3/17/2025 5:30pm   Location Fishtown Community 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 Fishtown Community Library, is free and open to the public.   Previous Monday Poet: Mytili Jagannathan New Monday Poet: Allison Whittenberg   Link https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/141074   Contact info ereflit@freelibrary.org   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title You Can't Kill a Poet   Start time 3/18/2025 8:00pm   Location Tattooed Mom   Description A reading for queer and trans poets. Doors at 7, reading at 8. Featuring: Adoom Cusack, Nico Haven, Gray Agpalo, Taylor Alyson Lewis, Maia Brown-Jackson, and Audrey Zee Whitesides.   Link https://www.instagram.com/p/DGQ_CMWRYt8/   Cost $0   ~~~~~~~~~ VIEW MORE EVENTS 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences