Poetry and Music
Your body is your ally for writing. It is both source and subject, the primary medium through which you experience the world 鈥� in pleasure and pain, injury and illness, creativity and empowerment. As writers, we tend to spend more time in our heads than our bodies. In this workshop, we will look to the body for inspiration; read and discuss poetry about the body; explore the senses to access memory and image, while supporting the nervous system; and experiment with a series of simple movements and writing prompts to unlock creativity. When you write about and from your body, you have enough to write about for the rest of your life.
Join poet, writer, and editor Luke Johnson as he leads writers through an interactive workshop and discussion around the difference between the authorial 鈥淚鈥� and the actual 鈥淚鈥� and just what both of those mean. He will explain why the authorial 鈥淚鈥� is the ultimate source to worldbuild from, and take questions from the attendees. Whether you鈥檙e new to poetry or looking to sharpen your voice and connect with fellow poets, this session will offer a supportive space to explore language, emotion, and imagination.
Join Maria Belen Luzuriaga Abad 鈥� musician, composer, educator, and sound artist 鈥� in this session to learn how she blends storytelling with sound to create immersive, emotionally resonant experiences. Looping live is essentially the process of recording and layering sound in real-time to create dynamic, multi-layered performances. It's a great tool for musicians, spoken word artists, and storytellers looking to add depth to their performances. Learn the basics of looping as Maria Belen demonstrates different creative applications, guides participants through hands-on exercises, and explores other topics related to live performance, improvisation, and the intersection of music and storytelling.
This workshop is for anyone who has crossed borders鈥攐r felt like they lived between them. Led by Juan Luzuriaga, who was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and immigrated to the U.S. in 2000, the session will include ways to explore and express one鈥檚 experience through poetry. Whether you鈥檙e an immigrant, the child of one, or someone who鈥檚 ever felt out of place. We鈥檒l write about identity, belonging, language, distance, home, and the ways we carry our histories. No experience needed鈥攋ust a willingness to share the truth you carry.
Ready to think outside the book? Join author and musician Kevin Carver as he discusses his debut novel鈥攁nd novel soundtrack!鈥擳he Forbidden Parallel. In addition to giving a behind-the-scenes look at his project, Kevin will share ways you can challenge yourself with ambitious, multimedia storytelling. Whether you want to incorporate music, video, art, live performance, or something else entirely, he'll discuss ways you can expand your project to really help your masterpiece make a splash.