Tag: workshop

The Confluence of Rhythms Begins: Mapping the Sounds of Your Poems

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Saturday, June 27 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Sundress Academy for the Arts
195 Tobby Hollow Ln,
Knoxville, Tennessee 37931

“Soon, soon the flesh / The grave cave ate will be / At home on me.”

Sylvia Plath’s images in “Lady Lazarus” are haunting, but they are propelled into nightmare through her expert sense of sound and rhythm. Think about the last poem that pulled you beneath its rhythmic tide. Did it chime with beauty like Elizabeth Bishop’s lines in “At the Fishhouses”:

“It is like what we imagine knowledge to be: / dark, salt, clear, moving, utterly free”?

If you are wondering how to further develop the natural tempos and patterns in your poems to enhance your poems’ images and narrative, this innovative music-poetics workshop is for you.

To combat the old struggles of writing and counting metrical lines, you will learn fresh methods like sound mapping, beat-tuning, and creating nonce forms to follow the sound of your poems to their crescendos. These methods will boost sound play in both free verse and metrical poems.

If you have always wanted to incorporate slant rhyme or alliteration but it seems wooden, this workshop is for you. In this 3 hour course, we will explore contemporary poets’ rhythmic techniques and you will learn to create evolving and enlivening music within your poems. Bring a couple of drafts-in-progress (at any stage) to revise. We will also write at least one new sound-driven piece in workshop. In addition to personalized feedback from the instructor and a helpful list of further readings, there will be a discussion of where and how to place sensual, sound-driven poetry for publication.

Purchase your tickets here!

10959347_832705225537_8697748533403976874_nSandy Marchetti is the author of Confluence, a debut full-length poetry collection forthcoming from Sundress Publications, and holds an MFA in Creative Writing-Poetry from George Mason University. Eating Dog Press also published an illustrated edition of her essays and poetry, A Detail in the Landscape, and her first volume, The Canopy, won Midwest Writing Center’s Mississippi Valley Chapbook Contest. Her work appears in The Journal, Subtropics, The Hollins Critic, Sugar House Review, Mid-American Review, Thrush Poetry Journal, Green Mountains Review, South Dakota Review, Phoebe, and elsewhere. She currently works as a writing teacher and freelance creative manuscript editor in her hometown of Chicago.

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SAFTA To Host Script-Writing Workshop with Harrison Young

 

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Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present  the “Words Aren’t Everything,” workshop, which will be directed by playwright Harrison Young! This workshop will be held from 1PM-3PM on Sunday, March 15th at Sundress Academy for the Arts’s Firefly Farms (195 Tobby Hollow Lane, Knoxville, TN).

Words are great, but not when they get in the way! This wonderful workshop is designed to teach participants how to utilize improvisation-techniques to isolate how structure and relationships allow them to better focus on their stories. Participants are encouraged to bring up to four pages of their latest material to review with the class. Each participant will work on their personal piece with the guidance and instruction of playwright Harrison Young.

Harrison Young is a Theatre graduate from the University of Tennessee. His produced writing includes Online Fighting (Featured by the Brick Theater, Peoples Improv Theater, Tennessee Stage Company, Wild Thyme Players, and Pandora’s Dream Productions), A Cocaine Comedy (Featured by the People’s Improv Theater and Tennessee Stage Company), and the Secret Disclosures series (Featured by the Treehouse Theater). His performing credits include world premieres like Michael’s Story (Performed with the Treehouse Theater), The Hungry Heart (Performed with the Carpetbag Theatre), and Hoppy’s Trunk (Performed with the Tennessee Stage Company). Young lives in New York City, where he is a house team member of the improv group Vice Cream.

Attendance at this workshop is limited, so secure your chance to work with a published playwright by reserving your spot today! You can do so at our website, HERE!

SAFTA Presents.. Monsterworks: A Writing Workshop on Revision

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Sundress Academy for the Arts is holding a new writing workshop in February for both beginning and advanced writers. Hosted by Sundress Publications authors Sarah Ann Winn and M. Mack, “Monsterworks: Hybrid Genres and Revision” focuses on creatively revising unfinished work and promises to send participants home with more than a few Franken-pieces to be proud of.

The success of this workshop depends on how much “body” you bring to work with and how creative you are with slicing up your work and reinventing it! Besides bringing some writing in need of revision and re-imagining, the only requirements for this workshop is that participants bring a journal, pen, scissors, glue/tape. Creativity is also a plus, but if you lack that or lack pages of your own writing to work with, there will be plenty of spare parts to go around.

Sarah Ann Winn lives in Fairfax Virginia. Her poems have appeared or will appear in Bayou Magazine, [d]ecember, Massachusetts Review, Quarterly West, and RHINO among others. Her chapbook, Portage, is forthcoming from Sundress Publications this winter. Her life as a poet-free-range-librarian-workshop-leader is a hybrid work in progress.

M. Mack is a genderqueer poet, editor, and fiber artist in Virginia. Mack is the author of the chapbooks Traveling (Hyacinth Girl Press, 2015) and Imaginary Kansas (dancing girl press, 2015). Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Fence, Gargoyle, Menacing Hedge, Finery, The Queer South (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2014), and elsewhere. Mack holds an MFA from George Mason University and is a founding co-editor of Gazing Grain Press, an explicitly inclusive feminist chapbook press. Theater of Parts is hir debut collection and will be released in 2016 from Sundress Publications.

This workshop is for writers of any genre or experience level who want to have fun with words and see their writing in a new light. Monsterworks will cost $25 to attend. Paying early is always recommended to reserve a spot, as they will start to fill up the closer it gets to the event. It will The workshop will be on Saturday, February 7, from 1PM – 4PM at Firefly Farms located at 195 Tobby Hollow Lane, Knoxville TN 37931.

Sign up at the SAFTA website or our online store!

OUTSpoken Opens 2015 Workshop Registration for LGBTQ+ Writers

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OUTSpoken is a second-year program from the Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) that will take place in Summer 2015. Our goal is to create a platform for the LGBTQ+ community of Knoxville, Tennessee, and its surrounding areas to record and perform the experiences of sex- and gender-diverse individuals in the South.

Registration for the OUTSpoken workshop series is now open. On-site participants will be a part of three workshops over the course of three months in order to create, edit, and produce a piece of art to be performed during SAFTA’s OUTSpoken events in Summer 2015. Workshop attendees will work with professionals in performance, prose, and poetry to compose and tell their own stories.

Workshops will be held on January 17th, February 21st, and March 28th, 2015 and run from 1PM to 3PM at the Sundress Academy for the Arts. Cost for the workshop is $25 for one, $45 for two, or $60 for all three. (Participants who attend at least two on-site workshops will be eligible to perform their piece at the OUTSpoken events later in the year.) Scholarship applications are also available on our website.

As LGBTQ issues gain greater visibility, it is crucial that we explore the complexities of sex and gender diversity respectfully. That said, we realize that unity cannot and must not be silent, and that in order to create a meaningful dialogue, we must acknowledge and listen to the stories, experiences, grievances, arguments, and counterarguments of all sex- and gender-diverse persons.

Register today!

Jewelry-Making and Product Photography Workshop

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Sundress Academy for the Arts will host their second Crafting for the Holidays workshop. This year’s event will include jewelry-making and product photography workshop led by University of Tennessee lecturers Carrie Sheffield and T.A. Noonan on December 6, 2014 from 1PM-4 PM at Firefly Farms (195 Tobby Hollow Ln. Knoxville, TN 37931).

Participants will practice several fundamental techniques used to produce earrings and pendants, perfect for holiday gift giving, and learn how to take photos for online galleries and marketplaces.

All jewelry-making materials will be provided, and tools will be available for use during the workshop. Bringing a digital camera to use during the photography workshop is recommended.

All participants will be able to take home what they make!

The workshop cost is $25 and can be purchased online at: http://mkt.com/sundress-publications/crafting-for-the-holidays-workshop

Hurry! Space is extremely limited.

SAFTA Genre-Writing Workshop This Weekend

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Sundress Academy for the Arts is pleased to announce its science fiction workshop “My Other Car is Another World: Writing Fiction in the Genres,” which will be held on October 11, 2014 from 12pm – 5pm. The workshop is $50 or $35 for students and open to the public.

This workshop will be held on SAFTA’s own Firefly Farms in Knoxville, Tennessee and will focus on simple, practical methods for generating genre story ideas, planning and plotting, drafting and perfecting your stories. Workshop participants will learn tips for negotiating the cutthroat world of genre fiction publishing.

This workshop offers the opportunity to work with published author and science fiction writer, Gary Charles Wilkens. Every participant in the workshop will leave with a 20+ page book written by Dr. Wilkens full of instruction and advice for writing genre fiction, as well as, of course, a complete draft of a genre fiction story

Gary Charles Wilkens, Assistant Professor of English at Norfolk State University, was the winner of the 2006 Texas Review Breakthrough Poetry Prize for his first book, The Red Light Was My Mind. His poems have appeared in more than 60 online and print venues, and he is also the author of (the yet unpublished) science fiction novel The Crying Road, as well as more than a dozen sci-fi stories and flash fictions. He earned his Ph.D. in Creative Writing in 2010 from The University of Southern Mississippi. A second sci-fi novel is in the works.

Space at this workshop is limited, so reserve your space today!

Sundress Academy for the Arts To Offer Love Poetry Workshop

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Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to host visiting poet Darren C. Demaree to lead the workshop “Ugh: Writing a Love Poem Worth Reading,” an exploration of the successful traits of a contemporary love poem. The event will be held at Firefly Farms in Knoxville from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 17th. Tickets are only $25 and can be purchased at www.sundresspublications.com.

This workshop will provide an informal setting to discus and develop the ideas and inspirations of creative romantic poetry. Subjects covered to include: the history and common mistakes of the genre, new ways of conceptualizing the love poem, and new approaches to crafting one. Participants are encouraged to bring their own work, and come prepared to write some new things as well.

Dannen C. Demaree is the author of three poetry collections, As We Refer to Our Bodies (2013, 8th House), Temporary Champions (2014, Main Street Rag), and Not For Art Nor Prayer (2015, 8th House). He is the recipient of three Pushcart Prize nominations and a Best of the Net nomination. Beyond his own work, Demaree is the founding editor of AltOhio and Ovenbird Poetry, as well as a member of the Sundress Publications editorial board.

SAFTA and the Knoxville Museum of Art Combine for Workshop Combining Poetry & Photography

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Poetry and photography intertwine as Sundress Academy for the Arts and the Knoxville Museum of Art present Not About But Through: Poems in Response to Photos, a poetry writing workshop open to writers of all experience. The workshop will focus on the museum’s exhibition “This World is Not My Home: Danny Lyon Photographs.” Poet Deborah Bernhardt will lead the workshop, which will take place 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 24 at the Knoxville Museum of Art.

Bernhardt will guide participants through the exhibition of photographs spanning Danny Lyon’s career, including his 1967 Knoxville photos. Discussion of traditional and alternative ways of seeing will be followed by a writing session at the museum. Participants will be encouraged to write not only about what they see but also elements and circumstances of their own invention. The workshop will conclude with an opportunity for participants to share their work and receive feedback.

The cost of the workshop is $45 per person and includes afternoon refreshments; however, a discounted rate of $35 per person is available for individuals who paid by July 31. A discounted rate of $75 is also available for two participants who register together. To purchase tickets, visit the Workshops section of the Sundress online store, here.

The Knoxville Museum of Art celebrates the art and artists of East Tennessee, presents new art and new ideas, serves and educates diverse audiences, and enhances Knoxville’s quality of life. For more information on the Knoxville Museum of Art, visit their website here, and for more on Danny Lyon’s exhibition and photographs, click here.

 

Deborah Bernhardt Spring 2007 by Christine Krikliwy

Deborah Bernhardt is the author of Echolalia, which was published by Four Way Books in 2006 and was the winner of the Intro Prize for Poetry. Her second collection, Driftology, won the 2013 New Michigan Press/DIAGRAM Chapbook Prize. She received a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, an MFA from the University of Arizona, and fellowships and grants from the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing (Jay C. and Ruth Halls Fellowship), the Wisconsin Arts Board (Literary Arts Grant), Penn State Altoona, Writers@Work, Fishtrap, Summer Literary Seminars in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Hessen Literary Society, Germany.

Sundress Academy for the Arts Presents Writing & Cooking The South: A Workshop

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KNOXVILLE, TN – Sundress Academy for the Arts, a branch of Sundress Publications, will be hosting an event devoted to Writing and Cooking the South, which will take place on Saturday, May 31, 2014 from 1:00PM – 7:00PM. A multi-genre workshop, the event will focus on the elements of what is considered “Southern” writing. Participants will discover how to incorporate elements of Southern mythos and history into their own storytelling. The workshop will be followed by a cooking demo that includes a number of traditional dishes from various regions of the American South. Participants will then enjoy a three-course dinner where they can sample the prepared recipes. The cost for this day-long workshop is $75.00.


Novice and advanced cooks and writers are welcome. The event is an opportunity for writers to integrate the rich mythologies and histories of the American South into their work and share a meal of traditional and re-imagined food. Participants will have the chance to learn from experienced and talented writers, including Dr. Erin Elizabeth Smith and Dr. Rhonda Lott.

Erin Elizabeth Smith is the Creative Director at the Sundress Academy for the Arts and the author of two full-length collections, The Fear of Being Found (Three Candles Press, 2008) and The Naming of Strays (Gold Wake Press, 2011). Her poems have appeared in numerous journals, including Mid-American, 32 Poems, Zone 3, Gargoyle, Tusculum Review, and Crab Orchard Review. She earned her PhD in Creative Writing at the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi and teaches a bit of everything in the English Department at the University of Tennessee. She also serves as the managing editor of Sundress Publications and Stirring.

Rhonda Lott, an alumna of the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi, recently earned her doctorate in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry from Texas Tech University. She has worked with Sundress Publications since 2008 as both an editor and artist-in-residence with contributions of poetry broadsides and book covers. Her writing has appeared internationally and locally in a variety of venues, including Hayden’s Ferry Review, cream city review, and The Los Angeles Review, as well as the Knoxville Film Festival 7-Day Shootout.

Space is limited, so reserve your spot today! The only requirements are a laptop and an appetite!

SAFTA to Host First Undergraduate Poetry Writing Weekend at Firefly Farms

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Sundress Academy for the Arts, a branch of Sundress Publications, is pleased to announce its inaugural Undergraduate Writers Retreat, which will be held from Friday, June 13th to Sunday, June 15th, 2014. The three-day, two-night camping retreat will be held on SAFTA’s own Firefly Farms in Knoxville, Tennessee and focus on poetry writing, particularly with an eye towards creating, editing, and finalizing a graduate school application portfolio.

A weekend pass includes instruction, writing supplies, food, drink, transportation to and from the airport, and all on-site amenities for $200, with tents, sleeping bags, and other camping equipment available to rent. Payment plans are available!

The event will be open to all undergraduate and recently graduated college students and provides an opportunity to work with many talented and published authors from around the country, including Erin Elizabeth Smith, T.A. Noonan, and Rhonda Lott.

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Erin Elizabeth Smith is the Creative Director at the Sundress Academy for the Arts and the author of two full-length collections, The Fear of Being Found (Three Candles Press, 2008) and The Naming of Strays (Gold Wake Press, 2011). Her poems have appeared in numerous journals, including Mid-American, 32 Poems, Zone 3, Gargoyle, Tusculum Review, and Crab Orchard Review. She earned her PhD in Creative Writing at the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi and teaches a bit of everything in the English Department at the University of Tennessee. She also serves as the managing editor of Sundress Publications and Stirring.

T.A. Noonan is the author of several books and chapbooks, most recently four sparks fall: a novella (Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, 2013) and, with Erin Elizabeth Smith, Skate or Die (Dusie Kollektiv, 2014). Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Reunion: The Dallas Review, West Wind Review, Hobart, Ninth Letter, and Phoebe, among others. A weightlifter, crafter, priestess, and all-around woman of action, she serves as the Associate Editor of Sundress Publications, Founding Editor of Flaming Giblet Press, and Literary Arts Director for the Sundress Academy of the Arts.

Rhonda Lott, an alumna of the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi, recently earned her doctorate in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry from Texas Tech University. She has worked with Sundress Publications since 2008 as both an editor and artist-in-residence with contributions of poetry broadsides and book covers. Her writing has appeared internationally and locally in a variety of venues, including Hayden’s Ferry Review, cream city review, and The Los Angeles Review, as well as the Knoxville Film Festival 7-Day Shootout.

Space at this workshop is limited to 10 poets, so reserve your space today!