Join George Abraham, the night’s scheduled feature, for an early-bird poetry workshop at the Cantab Lounge before the show. The one-hour workshop has limited space and begins at 5:30, with latecomers admitted no later than 6:00. This is a generative workshop and all are welcome. Description from the workshop leader:
I made him up // I made it all up: the Poetics of Memory and Personal Histories
Hala Alyan concludes her poem New Year with the lines: “I made him up. I made it all up.” How are we, as poets, to write narratives of trauma when trauma acts on and writes memory in every stage: from perception to cognition to consolidation to recollection? What does truth look like, and is truth a reasonable or responsible goal for every poem when we consider the systemic constructions (and consumption) of truth, and whose narratives are allowed to be considered true? When the existence of historically marginalized bodies are being denied on a national level, how can poetry serve as a vessel of memory, and hence history, for these bodies? Moreover, how can we write poems which are responsible, first and foremost, to memory? This workshop will draw from questions of memory via meditation and writing exercises, as well as examining the work of poets such as Hala Alyan, Ladan Osman, Brigit Pegeen Kelly, and more.
Cover charge is $5-$20 sliding scale, which includes admission to the evening show. We ask financially stable poets to consider contributing the higher end of this scale (or more) in order to defer costs for others and support this teaching artist’s generous donation of time to our space. Please note that no one who desires to write and contribute to the community of the workshop will be turned away for lack of funds!
Due to the constraints of the venue, this workshop has limited space; room can be guaranteed to poets who identify as POC or queer. The best way to score a spot in the workshop is to directly email the series curator.
The venue is 18+ and a photo ID is required. For more information on the night’s open mic, slam, and feature from George, click here.
Boston Poetry Slam Online