Incantations Against Empire ✨

Hey writers,   The semester is flying by! Maybe it's all the political mayhem or maybe it's just that it's grant-writing season, but somehow it's already mid-March and we have just three remaining classes open for enrollment:  Beyond the Page: Performance Skills for Poets — a 3-week class on using pacing, pauses, rhyme, and rhythm to improve your poetry performances. Tuition ranges from $112.50–$225, and payment plans are available to all. From Query to Collaboration — 2 single-session classes (fiction and nonfiction, respectively) on the process of finding an agent, available for purchase individually or bundled together. Tuition ranges from $20–$25, and payment plans are available to all. I'd like to ask you for a small favor: Please consider sharing one of these links with a friend, co-working, family member, or anyone else in your network with literary aspirations. Blue Stoop doesn't have much of an advertising budget and personal referrals are an effective way to help us spread the word. Thank you!   ON THE STOOP Wednesday, 3/19, 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, 3/20, 4:00 – 5:00 pm ET: Thursdays on the Stoop presents "Incantations Against Empire" with Miriam Saperstein. In this free hour-long workshop, we'll study the components of poetic spells (e.g. repetition, invoking powerful forces, spoken delivery) and practice writing our own. We'll start with source texts like June Jordan's "Intifada Incantation: Poem #8 for b.b.L." then gather materials to generate (and optionally share) our own incantations. We'll close with strategies for giving our incantations power, asking ourselves: What physical form could the words take? What happens when you sing it to the air, paint it on a banner, or write it on a stone and throw it in the ocean? (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 MOTHERS April 27 to May 1, 2025. Boyd’s Mill, Pennsylvania.   Delve into the heart of matrilineal stories 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 complex relationships with 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.   There's only one spot left! Register by March 27, 2025 to secure your spot.    Learn more: The Motherlode Retreat: Mastering the Art of Writing About 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 A Celebration of the Life and Work of Lyn Hejinian   Start time 3/18/2025 5:30pm   Location Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104    Description Please join us for a special evening honoring the life and work of poet, essayist, translator and teacher Lyn Hejinian (May 17, 1941–February 24, 2024). Hejinian is perhaps best known as a founding member of the Language Writing group of poets and for her book My Life, which revolutionized the form of verse memoir, as well as for her essays in the brilliant collection The Language of Inquiry, which introduced readers to the revolutionary concept of "the rejection of closure." Lyn Hejinian was also a beloved teacher, generous force for poetry, activist and community member. Hejinian's oeuvre is truly remarkable and her influence on generations of writers cannot be overstated. A number of poets will read from Lyn's work, offer personal remembrances, and collectively engage with her poetry, critical writing, translation, publishing, and extraordinary presence. This event is both for readers new to Lyn's work as well as for her many devoted readers and friends — all are welcome.   Link https://writing.upenn.edu/wh/calendar/0325.php#18   Contact info wh@writing.upenn.edu   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Book Launch: No Offense by Jackie Domenus in Conversation with Athena Dixon   Start time 3/20/2025 6:00pm   Location A Novel Idea, 1726 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148   Description Celebrating the publication of No Offense: A Memoir in Essays, author Jackie Domenus will read from the collection and have a discussion on memoir and essays with Athena Dixon, author of The Loneliness Files.   Link https://anovelideaphilly.com/events/   Contact info jackiedomenus@gmail.com   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Queer, Black Lit with Shawn Stewart Ruff and Days Running   Start time 3/21/2025 6:00pm   Location Giovanni's Room, 345 S. 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107   Description Join Lambda ward-winning author Shawn Stewart Ruff at Giovanni's Room as he reads from his new novel, Days Running - a dynamic portrait of one queer, Black boy’s experience with violence in 1970s Cincinnati. Shawn will also take questions from the audience, and sign books. Free.   Link https://www.queerbooks.com/event/shawn-stewart-ruff-signing-days-running/?sd=1742594400   Contact info dopaminebooksLA@gmail.com   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Love Notes   Start time 3/22/2025 12:00pm   Location Indy Hall, 709 N 2nd St 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19123   Description “Love Notes” is a multimedia poetry show featuring Mateo Souada, with an accompanying art display by Llorona Studios, music curated by Lorboo and DJ Destroyuh, and conversation with Philadelphia Poet Laureate Kai Davis. The title stems from Souada’s first self-printed poetry zine titled “Love Notes from a Runaway”, with “from a Runaway” cut off in an attempt to grow from their past into a more loving future. This event serves as a celebration of our past and present selves, as well as providing context to Mateo’s artistic journey through contributions by friends who inspire them. Using a combination of old and new poems, they aim to share the various “love notes” they’ve left behind through their life - to ancestors, family, friends, and most of all, themselves. A cash bar with themed cocktails and mocktails will be available, provided by Blk.Sanctuary   Link https://posh.vip/e/love-notes-a-poetry-show   Contact info https://www.instagram.com/aguaamazigh/   Cost FREE   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Tax Prep Party for Artists   Start time 3/22/2025 2:00pm    Location Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street Philadelphia PA 19107   Description Join us for a fun and stress-free tax prep session for artists and cultural workers! At this tailored drop-in workshop, experts Amy Smith and Logan Cryer will guide you through the basics of taxes for artists, including separating personal and artistic finances, Schedule C filing, self-employment versus employment, and tracking deductions. The party will feature music from the Chester Gifted Program Sound System on the Decks. This event is co-sponsored by the Philadelphia Folklore Project, Asian Arts Initiative, and Philadelphia Tax Prep for Artists.   Link https://asianartsinitiative.org/programs/tax-prep-party-for-artists   Contact info dave@asianartsinitiative.org   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Author Event: Amy Saul-Zerby   Start time 3/22/2025 3:00pm   Location Falls of Schuylkill Library, 3501 Midvale Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19129   Description Join us for a reading, chat, and Q & A with local poet and writer Amy Saul-Zerby.   Amy Saul-Zerby is the author of Paper Flowers, Imaginary Birds, Deep Camouflage, and Choose Your Own Beginning. Her poems have appeared in The Rumpus, The Chicago Review of Books, American Poetry Review, Painted Bride Quarterly, and elsewhere. She is the Director of Marketing and Development for The Free Books Project and Editor-in-Chief of Voicemail Poems.   This program is presented by the Friends of The Falls of Schuylkill Library and will take place in the downstairs meeting room, entrance on Midvale.   Link https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/148742   Contact info amysaulzerby@gmail.com   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~     VIEW MORE EVENTS 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences