Unpacking History: A Poet's Toy Chest
A generative poetry workshop with Andrew Navarro

Saturday, June 7
11:00 AM -2:00 PM PT
In Person at Beyond Baroque

In this workshop we will explore how history as a subject can act as a valuable toy chest filled with stories footnotes and biographies waiting to be discovered and incorporated into our work. Through our time together we will examine work from poets such as Wisława Szymborska Eavan Boland and Rodger Reeves to see just how expansive poetry can be when infused with history.

Andrew Navarro was born and raised in the Inland Empire and teaches world history in the city of Moreno Valley. His poetry has appeared, or is forthcoming, in Poet Lore, Michigan Quarterly Review, Zyzzyva, Air/Light, Shenandoah, and Best New Poets. He holds degrees in English and creative writing from California State University, San Bernardino, and the University of California, Riverside.

Crafting Poetry that Moves with Michael Datcher

Saturday, June 14
11:00 AM -2:00 PM PT
In Person at Beyond Baroque

The Emotional Power of Imagery & Lyricism. This craft workshop will interrogate the ways in which unexpected imagery and supple lyricism can create poetry that moves readers in a visceral way. The workshop includes in-workshop exercises rooted in the creation of interesting metaphors, similes and other visual markers—while also incorporating sly assonance and alliteration to enhance the poem's musicality. The workshop will result in at least one strong draft of a poem which the poets will present at the end-of-workshop reading.

Dr. Michael Datcher did his undergraduate work at UC Berkeley, his Masters at UCLA and his Ph.D. at UC Riverside in English Literature. He has curated and/or presented his work at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, The Hammer Museum and other art institutions. Datcher is the President of the Board of Directors at The World Stage, a literary and jazz education and performance 501.C3 nonprofit in Los Angeles’ Crenshaw District. Dr. Datcher is an Associate Clinical Professor of Writing at New York University.

Poetry and Memory with Kim Dower

Saturday, June 21
11:00 AM -2:00 PM PT
In Person at Beyond Baroque

This workshop provides an opportunity to mine our memories to awaken new, startling poems. We will explore the rich territory of ideas, people, places, and emotions from our past, and examine how memory can inform and affect our writing. Students will learn how to dig into memories from the span of their lives and will see how uncovering one memory often leads to another and another, creating fresh, imaginative work that surprises both the writer and reader. The 3-hour workshop will be a mixture of lecture, reading contemporary poetry based on poets’ memories, and practicing “fever writing” or “automatic writing,” tapping into our memories and the subconscious and reading aloud to the class.

Kim (Freilich) Dower (City Poet Laureate of West Hollywood from October 2016 – October 2018) has published six highly acclaimed collections of poetry all from Red Hen Press. Born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, Kim lives with her family in West Hollywood, CA. To learn more about Kim visit her website: www.kimdowerpoetry.com

Poetry Workshop Session 1

June 23 - 27, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Poetry Workshop Session 2

July 14 - 18, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
In Person at Beyond Baroque

Poetry Workshop with Mike Sonksen
Come write a cycle of poems using both formal and informal methods to connect the page to the stage! Drawing on inspiration from contemporary culture and the classics, students will combine their memories, family history, imagination and personal geographies to write poems in a supportive space. This workshop is a perfect launchpad for anyone looking to get published or start sharing their work aloud publicly.

3rd-generation Angeleno Mike Sonksen, aka Mike the PoeT, is an acclaimed poet, professor, journalist, historian and tour guide whose work has appeared in publications like the Academy of American Poets, Alta, PBS So Cal, Poetry Foundation and Westways. Sonksen has read poetry at over 100 academic institutions, appeared on radio and television and hosted events at the Grand Performances and Getty Center. His latest book, Letters To My City is published by Writ Large Press.

Essay Workshop Session 1

July 7 - 11, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Essay Workshop Session 2

July 21 - 25, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
In Person at Beyond Baroque

Essay Workshop with Luivette Resto
Get a head start on your college applications in this summer workshop focused on crafting a personal essay. Through writing exercises and personalized feedback, participants will learn how to tell their story with authenticity and impact.

Luivette Resto is an award-winning poet, a mother of three revolutionary humans, and a middle school English teacher. She was born in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico but proudly raised in the Bronx. She is a CantoMundo and Macondo Fellow and a Pushcart Prize nominee. She has three books of poetry: Unfinished Portrait, Ascension, and Living on Islands Not Found on Maps. Her work has been mentioned in the LA Times and Ms. Magazine. She is the associate editor of Tía Chucha Press, and she also sits on the board for Women Who Submit, and she is one of the co-hosts of Poetry LA.