Class

Poetry, Yoga, and Projective Verse: Breath as Line for Writers of Color and Indigenous Writers

The class explores poetry as an embodied, performative practice that’s attentive to voicing, listening, rupture, and the pressures history and sound place on the body. Working to establish a shared rhythmic field, we will engage poems by William Alexander, Douglas Kearney, Evie Shockley, Janice Lee, and selections from M. NourbeSe Philip’s Zong! as works that foreground breath, sonic texture, interruption, and the ways historical force registers somatically. These texts ask to be encountered not only through reading, but through attention, listening, and physical presence.

The session is designed for poets, performers, artists, scholars, and readers interested in experimental writing, sound, performance, and somatic approaches to language. No prior performance or movement experience is required. Participants should come prepared for close listening, gentle experimentation, and a process-oriented environment that values curiosity and process.

The class will unfold as a focused, immersive encounter rather than a survey. We will move between collective listening and reading, short breath- and movement-based practices, brief generative writing prompts, and discussion. Structure will remain responsive to the participants, allowing improvisation and attunement to guide pacing and emphasis. Throughout, the poem will be approached as an event, something that happens through bodies in time, rather than a static textual object.

Takeaways include new fragments or drafts, reading practices that can be adapted beyond the session, and conceptual tools for understanding poetry as a site of lived, kinetic inquiry. Attention will be given to care, consent, and accessibility, with practices offered as invitations to improvise.

These classes cover the issues and traditions of writers of color and Indigenous writers; LGBTQIA+ writers; writers with disabilities; and other writers from marginalized backgrounds. This space is intended for marginalized writers to work on their craft in a space that centers them and their work. We ask all participants to be cognizant of that core value. Anti-discrimination and US human rights laws prevent the exclusion of anyone based on their identity. If you are not a writer with a marginalized background, please be mindful of the space and energy you take up in a class intended to uplift traditionally marginalized and silenced communities. Anyone being disruptive may be asked to leave.

These classes are offered on a pay what you can basis. At checkout, students may select the "pay what you can" option and enter any amount, including $0.

Instructions for Accessing This Online Class

In order to access live class meetings, you must have the Zoom application downloaded to your computer. You will also need a WiFi/Internet connection throughout the duration of your scheduled meeting and a computer with audio and video capability. The information to join your Zoom classroom will be provided in your confirmation email upon registration. Please check spam folders if you do not see this email upon registration. For more information on how to use Zoom, please see our training manual here.