Open to all writers of color.
What role(s) does the love poem play in contemporary life and literature? In what ways can contemporary poets innovate one of the main poetic traditions with its long, long history? Do we agree with this bold claim by Jericho Brown: “Every poem is a love poem. Every poem is a political poem”? And if we do agree, how can we put this notion into practice? In this generative session, we’ll discuss our responses to these big questions and also write our way into further inquiry. We’ll consider love as a radical action alongside the questioning of power and the seeking of justice. Work by Solmaz Sharif, Aracelis Girmay, Jean Valentine, Ross Gay, Patrick Rosal, Sarah Gambito, and others will be our guides.