What elements or connections frame how we see ourselves in the mirror? How does the “I” move in the world? If there was a Wakandan tree of life, what would a poet put on its branches?  The etymology of the self is connected to the family you have or make, lovers, origin tales, music in the bones, the body electric, and how similar we are to myth, animal, or superhero. We are more than our multitudes but how do we capture this on the page?

In this 10-week online workshop, participants will look at the work of literary ancestors and contemporary poets, including Lucille Clifton, Natalie Diaz, Audre Lorde, Joy Harjo, Terrance Hayes, Airea D. Mathews, Ross Gay and others who explore what the “I” can contain. Through weekly in-session freewrites, peer review, and written feedback, poets will write in a variety of forms, including direct address, confessional, persona, and praise. In writing down the self, participants will learn craft, identify the spark in their own work, and create the loud voice of “I”.

This online community workshop for poets of color is limited to an enrollment of 12 to 15 New Yorkers. The application period is open through Jan. 22 and Feb. 22 though Cave Canem.