Writing Yourself Into the Poem

Award-winning poet and performer extraordinaire Aaron Samuels led a group of writers with a great workshop at the 2014 Mixed Remixed Festival.

From Shakespeare to Nikki Giovanni to Mos Def to Drake, artists have used their respective mediums to express the complexities and nuances of identity. In this workshop, Aaron leads a discussion about how both classic and contemporary writers have tackled identity multiplicity and exploration in their work. Then using the poems discussed as writing prompts, participants write their own poems discussing one or multiple aspects of their complex identity. Participants will then share and discuss the poems written during workshop. Participants do not need to come to the workshop with writing prepared, but should come ready to write!

Aaron Samuels, raised in Providence, Rhode Island by a Jewish mother and a Black father, is a Cave Canem Fellow and a nationally acclaimed performer. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart, featured on TV One’s Verses & Flow, and has appeared in many journals including Tidal Basin Review and Muzzle Magazine.