Sundress Academy for the Arts Presents "Before and After: Taking the BIPOC Road to Literary Taxidermy"

The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present “Before and After: Taking the BIPOC Road to Literary Taxidermy,” a workshop led by Denise Ervin on Wednesday, July 10th, 2024, from 6-7:30 PM EST. This event will be held over Zoom. Participants can access the event at tiny.utk.edu/sundress (password: safta).

Many contemporary poets find inspiration in the words of others. Sometimes, that inspiration takes the form of an “after” poem, where the writer imitates the form, rhythm, cadence, anaphora, etc. of another poet to pay homage to the original idea. In this workshop, we will take this idea beyond the flattering imitation by generating new work that borrows old lines. Specifically, we will examine several sample poems by BIPOC writers and vote for a consensus of our favorite lines from each.

Workshop participants will then be charged with literary taxidermy, using two of the lines we’ve chosen as the first and last lines of a new poem and packing the middle with an original poem to bring it to life. Participants will have an opportunity to share their work with the group and will leave with multiple first drafts that they can continue to build on in future writing.

While there is no fee to participate in this workshop, those who are able and appreciative may make donations directly to Denise Ervin via Venmo: @deniserervin, PayPal: denise.ervin@hotmail.comm or CashApp: $deniserervin

Denise R. Ervin is a creative writer hewn from the streets, classrooms, and boardrooms of Detroit. She has spent two decades as a teaching artist, performing poetry around the country, and leading workshops for the likes of Midnight & Indigo and Room Project. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in AADUNA, Harbinger Asylum, Third Wednesday Magazine, and others. Most recently, she was selected as a Graduate Fellow by The Watering Hole and a semifinalist for America’s Next Great Author. She also serves at Literary Arts Director for SAFTA and manages a youth writing program in her hometown.