Overview
“Power to the Pen: Writing for Revolution” is an opportunity for new and returning Blue Stoop students to build their storytelling skills in a supportive environment. Applicants will choose from two 3-week classes, one in poetry and the other in essay-writing, and will be invited to participate in other community-building activities. Classes will be held in-person at 1315 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.
Due to limited space, we require a brief application. We’re looking for local students who are eager to learn and form connections with other writers. No experience or prior training is required — you only need a solid grasp of the English language and the willingness to show up and try!
Full-price tuition is $225. Thanks to a grant from PECO, Power to the Pen participants earning less than $20,000/year will receive full scholarships and pay $0 for tuition. Participants earning $20,000 – $39,999/year, and those impacted by the closure of The University of the Arts (i.e. former staff, faculty, and students), will receive half scholarships and pay $112.50 for tuition. Payment plans are available upon request.
Applications are open February 3 – February 23, 2025. Selected participants will be notified by March 10, 2025.
How to apply
Read the descriptions below and decide which class you’d like to take. You can choose poetry, essay-writing, or “either.”
Complete the application by February 23, 2025, 11:59 pm ET. You’ll need approximately 20-30 minutes and a brief statement (up to 3000 characters, which is roughly 500 words maximum) about your interest in the program.
Wait to hear back from us. We’ll notify those selected by March 10, 2025. If you are not selected, we encourage you to check out our other spring classes and financial aid options.
About Blue Stoop
Founded in 2018, Blue Stoop provides high quality classes, inspiring events, and transformative professional opportunities to creative writers in the greater Philadelphia area. Blue Stoop envisions a radically inclusive literary community where Philadelphia readers and writers are thriving and supported. Blue Stoop is a fiscally sponsored 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization through CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia. Learn more about our work here.
The Classes:
Poetry as Resistance: Crafting Your Revolutionary Voice with Saskia Kercy
March 9, March 16, March 23
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
with Nicole Young
April 16, April 23, April 30
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.
The Application
Fill it out below, or click here to open a new window. Deadline to submit is February 23rd at 11:59PM ET.
Blue Stoop is proud to be a recipient of PECO’s Powering the Arts grant – an initiative designed to support small and mid-sized community-based arts organizations in reaching new and diverse audiences with arts and culture programming and reducing barriers to their participation. For more information visit: PECO Powering the Arts.