Need financial aid? Apply here first.
“I feel, therefore I can be free. Poetry coins the language to express and charter this revolutionary demand, the implementation of that freedom.” – Audre Lorde
In this generative 3 week class, poets of all experience levels will explore the revolutionary potential of the written and spoken word. After grounding ourselves in Audre Lorde's seminal essay, "Poetry Is Not a Luxury," we'll discuss works by Lucille Clifton, Danez Smith, Suheir Hammad, Tonya Ingram, Ocean Vuong, Refaat Alareer, and others to expand our understanding of and relationship to poetry. Together, we'll craft new works "carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives" and move past surface-level interpretations to refine our individual poetic voices.
This virtual session will not be recorded.
Readings for this class will include sensitive content, including mentions of suicide, war, racism, and sexual assault. Example readings:
“If I Must Die” by Refaat Alareer
“Alternate Heaven for Black Boys” by Danez Smith
“Shiv” by Rachel McKibbens
Instructor: Gabriel Ramirez, author of the chapbook IF PIT BULLS HAD A GOD IT’D BE A PIT BULL (The Head & The Hand Press) and the children’s book We’re Community is a Queer Afro-Caribbean writer, performer, and educator. A 2023 Gregory Djanikian Scholar in Poetry at Adroit Journal and the CantoMundo 2024-2025 Poetry Coalition Fellow. Gabriel has received fellowships from the The Conversation Literary Arts Festival, Miami Book Fair, a graduate fellow at The Watering Hole, and a participant in the Callaloo Writer’s Workshops. You can find their work in various spaces, including YouTube, and in publications like Poetry Magazine, Poem-a-Day, Muzzle Magazine, Adroit Journal, Split This Rock’s The Quarry, BOMB, and others as well as Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology (Library of America 2024). Learn more about Gabriel Ramirez @RamirezPoet. and RamirezPoet.com.
Need financial aid? Apply here first.
“I feel, therefore I can be free. Poetry coins the language to express and charter this revolutionary demand, the implementation of that freedom.” – Audre Lorde
In this generative 3 week class, poets of all experience levels will explore the revolutionary potential of the written and spoken word. After grounding ourselves in Audre Lorde's seminal essay, "Poetry Is Not a Luxury," we'll discuss works by Lucille Clifton, Danez Smith, Suheir Hammad, Tonya Ingram, Ocean Vuong, Refaat Alareer, and others to expand our understanding of and relationship to poetry. Together, we'll craft new works "carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives" and move past surface-level interpretations to refine our individual poetic voices.
This virtual session will not be recorded.
Readings for this class will include sensitive content, including mentions of suicide, war, racism, and sexual assault. Example readings:
“If I Must Die” by Refaat Alareer
“Alternate Heaven for Black Boys” by Danez Smith
“Shiv” by Rachel McKibbens
Instructor: Gabriel Ramirez, author of the chapbook IF PIT BULLS HAD A GOD IT’D BE A PIT BULL (The Head & The Hand Press) and the children’s book We’re Community is a Queer Afro-Caribbean writer, performer, and educator. A 2023 Gregory Djanikian Scholar in Poetry at Adroit Journal and the CantoMundo 2024-2025 Poetry Coalition Fellow. Gabriel has received fellowships from the The Conversation Literary Arts Festival, Miami Book Fair, a graduate fellow at The Watering Hole, and a participant in the Callaloo Writer’s Workshops. You can find their work in various spaces, including YouTube, and in publications like Poetry Magazine, Poem-a-Day, Muzzle Magazine, Adroit Journal, Split This Rock’s The Quarry, BOMB, and others as well as Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology (Library of America 2024). Learn more about Gabriel Ramirez @RamirezPoet. and RamirezPoet.com.
