An IN-PERSON Poetry and Nonfiction Workshop
ALL LEVELS
In this 5 hour in-person generative workshop co-facilitated by LaLa Drew & Jan Bindas-Tenney, we’ll read, write and workshop poems and essays that queer our relationship to our environments. We’ll trouble the constructs of natural and unnatural. We’ll read work by Samaa Abdurraqib, Oliver Baez Bendorf, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, Tommy Pico, Ocean Vuong, Leigh Ellis & Lou Hoecker. We’ll explore the Institute for Queer Ecology. We’ll define and push against white supremacist, binary & violent frameworks that seek to control, tame, name nature and lean into our queer resistance, resilience and nuance. We’ll write our unruly bodies in the land. We’ll write interspecies romance. We’ll explore the ways our queerness can be mirrored back to us in our environments. We’ll write into abandoned lots, wastewater drains, rail yards, sidewalks, mycelium miracles, squid jigs, chart and dream our collective survival. The focus of this workshop is ideal for People of the Global Majority & LGBTQ+ folks.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur in-person at USM in Portland Maine. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed the exact location of the class.
LaLa Drew is a writer, poet, activist, and organizer in South Portland, ME. Their experience spans many identities, walking through life as a Black, queer, transracial adoptee. Living, creating, and loving in Maine has given them a unique appreciation of power and community. LaLa works to infuse their activism and work into every moment of every day; believing taking a breath, pushing back on ignorance, kissing a friend's cheek, are all acts of rebellion. Creator of BloodLetting: a poetry night for queer and femme people of color; co-leader of PoC Meditation: Feeling the Body/Healing the Heart; former blogger with Black Girl in Maine; columnist with Portland Phoenix where they penned Unpacking the New Normal; MC for L/A Arts' Youth & Community Open Mic. LaLa has had their work published in several publications including, Sisu Magazine, Incomer Magazine, Maine Sunday Telegram's Deep Water, and Poliquads Magazine.
Jan Bindas-Tenney is a white trans non-binary & queer organizer, facilitator, writer, reader, lover, friend and parent living on unceded Abenaki land. They hold an MFA in nonfiction from University of Arizona. Their art recently appeared in the Can't Take My Eyes Off You exhibit at SPEEDWELL Contemporary and writing has appeared in Orion, Guernica, Gulf Coast, Arts & Letters, CutBank, the Maine Review, among other places. They currently work for the Vera Institute of Justice in collaboration with the MILPA collective on a national prison reform initiative, Restoring Promise, to create housing units grounded in dignity for young adults. They live in South Portland, ME with their partner Rachael, kids Sonny and Avi, and dog Bisbee.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact Meghan Sterling at programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-228-8263 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.
$85 Members / $105 Nonmembers
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one full scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Contact Meghan at programs@mainewriters.org to see if the scholarship is still available. Application Due on April 1st at 9:00 a.m.
→ MORE INFORMATION
MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION