Join award-winning poet María Fernanda for an in-gallery poetry writing workshop inspired by the exhibition Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985.

Overview

We will write short vignettes in narrative form, lyric form, and persona. A vignette is an episodic piece of writing describing a person or a moment in time. Generative writing exercises will be shaped by Bhanu Kapil’s The Vertical Interrogation of Strangers, as well as poems by artists Dionne Brand, Sarah Ghazal Ali, and Nikky Finney.

Note: This workshop title comes from Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston writes, “There are years that ask questions, and years that answer.”

📺 Listen to María Fernanda’s Live Chat with written transcription about attending this upcoming experience.

Takeaways

• You will leave with ten vignettes about pivotal moments, years in history or in your own life.

• We will explore atmosphere, lyric, point of view (epistolary writing), and time.

• You will learn techniques to transfer to other creative projects, such as writing non/fiction and screenwriting.

“The act of writing is a form of sprouting. Before roots develop and stretch, there is sprouting. Sprouting is when the seed recognizes it has, and is, enough to begin.” — María Fernanda

Sign up on-site to share your work aloud at our newest open mic series curated by award-winning poet María Fernanda (she/hers). She believes that Poetry, like us, exists in many forms—spoken word, blues, performance/theatre, hip-hop, and more. Bring poems, songs, raps, monologues, positive affirmations and more! Literary work at any creative stage is welcomed: new sh*t, draft, final, published, published-but-the-poem-been-lookin-a-little-different-now and more! Each reader will have approximately 3 minutes to make room for as many readers as possible. Hosted by poet María Fernanda (she/hers). This event is one-hour.

“The act of writing is a form of sprouting. Before roots develop and stretch, there is sprouting. Sprouting is when the seed recognizes it has, and is, enough to begin.” — María Fernanda

Sign up on-site to share your work aloud at our newest open mic series curated by award-winning poet María Fernanda (she/hers). She believes that Poetry, like us, exists in many forms—spoken word, blues, performance/theatre, hip-hop, and more. Bring poems, songs, raps, monologues, positive affirmations and more! Literary work at any creative stage is welcomed: new sh*t, draft, final, published, published-but-the-poem-been-lookin-a-little-different-now and more! Each reader will have approximately 3 minutes to make room for as many readers as possible. Hosted by poet María Fernanda (she/hers). This event is one-hour.

Join award-winning poet María Fernanda for a special poetry workshop at Salt & Sundry at their Union Market location. In this special gathering, we will write poems that inspire our sense of home. Bring a notebook or purchase one at Salt & Sundry!

While this workshop is typically $60, María Fernanda is offering this workshop with a donation to her GoFundMe campaign . To Register, click, “Sign Up” and send the word “Home.” We will respond to confirm availability.

If there is availability, we will ask you to donate $10 to Help María Fernanda Develop Her Screenplay (at a Residency)! or via venmo @mariafernandapoet.

If you are not able to participate, please consider donating to Help María Fernanda Develop Her Screenplay (at a Residency)! or via venmo @mariafernandapoet.

Why GoFundMe?

The contribution on GoFundMe allows María Fernanda raise funds for her screenplay and has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing discounted poetry workshops beginning August 1, 2025 as part of raising these funds. If you have any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.

Why Venmo?

The registration is on Venmo due to the cost of ticketing platforms. The Venmo platform has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing series Let's Write Poetry Saturdays from January 2024 to present. If you have any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.

Originally presented at the Folger Shakespeare Library as part of their Folger Family Takeovers, Archiving the Self is a generative poetry workshop conceived by award-winning poet María Fernanda to discuss our current times, write about them through poetry and, as part of our adult lives, read works by Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison.

This two hour workshop is part of María Fernanda discounted workshops to provide greater access to poetry forms that are not widely taught, particularly along with their historic origins and the poetry forms’ impact on history.

While this workshop is typically $60, María Fernanda is offering this workshop with a $30 - $60 sliding scale. To Register, click “SIGN UP” and please type, within the What’s this for? entry field, “Archiving” with your email address. You will receive a Welcome Note closer to the workshop date and a zoom link.

(You may also send your email address to María Fernanda directly here). This completes your registration.

If you are not able to participate, please consider donating to Help María Fernanda Develop Her Screenplay (at a Residency)! or via venmo @mariafernandapoet.

Why Venmo?

The registration is on Venmo due to the cost of ticketing platforms. The Venmo platform has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing series Let's Write Poetry Saturdays from January 2024 to present. If you have any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.

At every age, we are looking for a place to begin or a place to continue. In this generative writing poetry class, we will read the works of globally-renowned poets in their thirties as for many of them, their thirties is when their literary work began to find its shape on paper. We will read selections of, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie by Maya Angelou, Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir 1969 – 1980 by Lucille Clifton, and Cotton Candy On A Rainy Day by Nikki Giovanni. We will also listen to audio interviews with each poet, inspiring us to begin, regardless of age.

María Fernanda will offer 50% off the workshop’s original $60 price for a total of $30 per person to honor the research, crafted writing exercises, and curation of poems. Since people had already signed up* (Thank you!), this workshop can move forward independently and digitally.

REGISTER — Please click “Sign Up” below; it will take you to the Venmo of @poetrywithmariafernanda. In the What’s this for? entry window, please type in “How to Begin." You will receive an official Welcome Note on Sunday with the zoom details! 

Why Venmo?

The registration is on Venmo due to the cost of ticketing platforms. The Venmo platform has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing series Let's Write Poetry Saturdays from January 2024 to present. If you experience any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.

*What Changed From The Original Offering?

It was with sadness to share that this workshop was not happening as planned after the venue cancelled the workshop due to less than a specific minimum of signed up participants. It is with great joy that this workshop is still moving forward, now independently.

What does inner freedom mean to you?

Join us this Saturday, August 9 at 10:30am for Inner Freedom: A Poetry Workshop led by award-winning poet Maria Fernanda (@poetrywithmariafernanda ) at Creative Grounds DC. This poetry workshop explores inner freedom through the lens of diasporic afro-surrealism and poetry. We will read writers across the Caribbean, Africa, and the U.S. and consider what it means to be free on the page and in our spirits.

Expect Black surrealists.

Expect beauty.

Expect a creative reset.

Grab a drink or snack from the bar at Creative Grounds DC .

The workshop is free but space is limited to 20. Please RSVP by clicking “Sign Up” to register.

Address

Creative Grounds DC

1822 North Capitol St. NW

10:30–11:30am

Write, reflect, and create meaningful community.

Please note this description was written in collaboration with Creative Grounds DC.

Write inspired by free special curated writing prompts inspired by the American Poetry Museum’s current exhibition.

The prompts will appear on hard copy paper. This experience is self-guided and focuses on the concept that the American Poetry Museum is a place where people can come in and write poetry throughout the day. María Fernanda will be present at 1:00pm, however participants can arrive anytime as this is an all-day self-guided pop-up.

This drop-in is FREE. Venue Note: Please consider donating to the American Poetry Museum during your visit.

Pre-registeration is encouraged, not required. It helps the museum prepare.

Join award-winning poet María Fernanda in this workshop where we will close-read poems by globally-renowned poet and literary legend Nikki Giovanni. Participants will discuss the historical context of her work, as well as its impact. This workshop will look at Nikki Giovanni’s life and we can share perspectives on how she became the poet she is now.

Reading:
The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1968-1998 by Nikki Giovanni (9780060724290)

RSVP — https://politics-prose.com/list/online-class-honoring-nikki-giovanni-close-reading-2556

Booked.

After an incredible celebration in 2024, the DMV Made Festival is back to transform our community through the power of arts and wellness! Last year's festival featured unforgettable performances from DC legends like The Blackbyrds and Chuck Brown Band, while immersing attendees in poetry pavilions, live mural creations, interactive dance workshops, and our health & wellness zone.

RSVP - FREE

What is Parkmont Poetry Festival Summer Programming?

Parkmont’s collaboration with DPR’s Jazz in the Park launches PPF’s second year of Parkmont Poetry Festival Summer Programming, conceived and launched by award-winning poet María Fernanda to create more opportunities for young people to experience their original literary art with their peers across Washington, DC outside of competitive environments.

What is Parkmont Poetry Festival Summer Programming?

Parkmont’s collaboration with DPR’s Jazz in the Park launches PPF’s second year of Parkmont Poetry Festival Summer Programming, conceived and launched by award-winning poet María Fernanda to create more opportunities for young people to experience their original literary art with their peers across Washington, DC outside of competitive environments.

Learn a new literary form, commemorate the busses, and finally learn your updated route. We will write poems inspired by the bus lines, both from before and now.

This one-hour workshop is $20 for the poetry research, printed materials, and generative writing exercises. This is a POP-UP workshop and aims to provide greater access to the rigorous study. Consider gifting a workshop to a friend!

Click the “Sign up” button below and, within What’s this for?, please type in “Bus at APM” with your email address. You will receive a Welcome Note closer to the workshop date. Due to team capacity and timing, walk-in’s may not be able to receive a Welcome Note.

Why This Workshop Now?

DC Metro Bus Routes were officially changed with what it is being called the “Better Bus Network” (Slide 3).

*Please note that registration is on Venmo due to the cost of ticketing platforms and the seating capacity of the venue. While the Venmo platform was used successfully by poetry participants from January 2024 to July 2025, please contact our team here if you experience any concerns.

If All the Trees Were Pens is a Multi Media Open Mic with a mission to create a collaborative space where young people can share their work and be inspired by one another. A platform to share art in different forms and make friends and connections.

sasaaakil.com/product/if-all-the-trees-were-pens/41

“The act of writing is a form of sprouting. Before roots develop and stretch, there is sprouting. Sprouting is when the seed recognizes it has, and is, enough to begin.” — María Fernanda

Sign up on-site to share your work aloud at our newest open mic series curated by award-winning poet María Fernanda (she/hers). She believes that Poetry, like us, exists in many forms—spoken word, blues, performance/theatre, hip-hop, and more. Bring poems, songs, raps, monologues, positive affirmations and more! Literary work at any creative stage is welcomed: new sh*t, draft, final, published, published-but-the-poem-been-lookin-a-little-different-now and more! Each reader will have approximately 3 minutes to make room for as many readers as possible. Hosted by poet María Fernanda (she/hers). This event is one-hour.

Booked.

We will discuss, read, and write ghazals The ghazal is a poetry form recognized by its series of five or more couplets—

a couplet is two poetic lines—where the second line possesses a repeating end word. Generative writing exercises are shaped by examples of ghazals and poets’ vary approaches. In one hour, participants will leave with five ghazals inspired by the works read in workshop.

This one-hour workshop is $20, as part of María Fernanda discounted workshops to provide greater access to the community. Consider gifting a workshop to a friend!

Click the “Sign up” button below and, within What’s this for?, please type in “Ghazal at APM” with your email address. You will receive a Welcome Note closer to the workshop date.

*Please note that registration is on Venmo due to the cost of ticketing platforms and the seating capacity of the venue. While the Venmo platform was used successfully by poetry participants from January 2024 to May 2025, please contact our team here if you experience any concerns.

What is Parkmont Poetry Festival Summer Programming?

Parkmont’s collaboration with DPR’s Jazz in the Park launches PPF’s second year of Parkmont Poetry Festival Summer Programming, conceived and launched by award-winning poet María Fernanda to create more opportunities for young people to experience their original literary art with their peers across Washington, DC outside of competitive environments.

Participants will read screenplays to inspire and vary their poetic voice.

A screenplay is a film written. Alongside screenplays, we will also read poems. Night is a poetry workshop created by award-winning poet María Fernanda. The screenplays and poems will act as parallel prompts for participants to, ultimately, write their own poems.

RESCHEDULED — Participants create a broadside to take home. A broadside is an art print with text and drawings.

Make Your Mark is a poetry workshop created by award-winning poet María Fernanda. Final broadsides will be inspired by participants’ own poetry and the poetry of various social movements.

The CLSAS Annual Conference aims to bring together CLS alumni from all over the world,

Join award-winning poet María Fernanda at: When Language Meets Art: Reflections on Life, Language, Culture, and the Arts

Renowned global performers, artists, and storytellers share their perspectives and experiences on creative careers and the intersection of language, culture, and the arts. This panel will explore the non-traditional career pathways in the arts and humanities space. Join us as we reflect on art as diplomacy and its transformative potential.  

Details here — clsas.org/event-details/2025-clsas-annual-conference

In the Garden led by award-winning poet Maria Fernanda, will be hosted at Tudor Place Historic House & Garden. This program is co-presented with the DC Preservation League, as well as a part the ongoing interview series a poetry garden, reaching across DC's eight wards.

Enjoy an afternoon with special guest Matthew B. Kelley in conversation with a poetry garden founder María Fernanda to discuss their creative and historic connections to the gardens.

Guests are encouraged to arrive at 1:30pm for a garden tour or a map for a self-guided experience.

dcpreservation.org/event/in-the-garden-part-of-the-poetry-garden-series/

Join award-winning poet María Fernanda for a poetry workshop inspired by a range of generative writing exercises stemming from percussive speeches and various genres of music inspired by nature. apoetmuseum.org/events

Feel free to bring your own sound to share!

This one-hour workshop is $20, as part of María Fernanda discounted workshops to provide greater access to the community. Consider gifting a workshop to a friend!

Click the “Sign up” button below and, within What’s this for?, please type in “Tempo at APM” with your email address. You will receive a Welcome Note closer to the workshop date.

*Please note that registration is on Venmo due to the cost of ticketing platforms and the seating capacity of the venue. While the Venmo platform was used successfully by poetry participants from January 2024 to May 2025, please contact our team here if you experience any concerns.

“Poems are works—spoken, sang, hummed, written—created with the intention to express an idea or emotion.” — María Fernanda

Sign up on-site to share your work aloud at our newest open mic series curated by award-winning poet María Fernanda (she/hers). She believes that Poetry, like us, exists in many forms—spoken word, blues, performance/theatre, hip-hop, and more. Bring poems, songs, raps, monologues, positive affirmations and more! Literary work at any creative stage is welcomed: new sh*t, draft, final, published, published-but-the-poem-been-lookin-a-little-different-now and more! Each reader will have approximately 3 minutes to make room for as many readers as possible. Hosted by poet María Fernanda (she/hers). This event is one-hour.

Details — politics-prose.com/event/2025-06-05/hour-poetry-open-mic-created-and-hosted-poet-maria-fernanda-union-market

Learn to write the Flamenca, a poetic form resembling the rhythms of Flamenco. Details here: writer.org/event/40-pop-up-writing-the-flamenca/