The Concept Book: Culminating Event
The Concept Book: Culminating Event
Join The American Poetry Museum for this Culminating Event of The Concept Book. This experience invites the public to learn about the work by both writers at the beginning of their process and writers who have written sections of their manuscript and are looking for feedback. The Concept Book is the idea that manuscript is formed around one or two major themes that house a series of poems and expressions. Presenting writers have experience one or more of the following workshops: Theme, Introduction, Arc, and Resolution.
The Theme
This workshop will help us determine what we want our manuscript to focus on. The first part of the class will be generative for those deciding what to write about. In the second half of the class, participants are invited to bring three poems that they have already written prior to this workshop to receive support in deciding which theme might be more resonant for a Concept Book.
The Introduction
There are infinite ways to draw your reader in. This workshop focuses on examples of how various authors have chosen to invite their reading into their poetry manuscript. For example, participants may notice some authors begin their work with a brief poem speaking broadly to the book’s overall theme while other authors may open their books with an extensive poem, to both immerse the reader and exercise the reader's commitment to continue reading. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
The Arc
This workshop is about identifying the strongest threads and patterns in your manuscript, as well as the rising and landing across them. This is not about asserting a particular narrative nor a definitive storyline. Instead, this is about discussing what we are communicating to the reader and what do we want to say now, such as Why this approach?, Why by this author? We will discuss the first part of arranging a manuscript. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
The Resolution
This workshop focuses on examples of how various authors have chosen to close their poetry manuscript. For example, participants may notice some authors close their manuscripts with a sense of questioning while other authors may have a definitive ending that invites the reader to re-read the inner plotlines and minor themes throughout the book. We will discuss the second part of arranging a manuscript. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
HOW TO RSVP for The Concept Book’s Final Event — RSVP-ing helps us determine the number of people to expect. Walk-in’s welcomed. Here’s how:
Please click “Register” below; it will take you to the Venmo of @poetrywithmariafernanda.
In the What’s this for? entry window, please type in
(1) “Culmination”
(2) your preferred email address
(3) $10. You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details!
Reminder: You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details once registered.
Why Venmo?
The registration is on Venmo due to the ratio between the ticketing platform fees (i.e., Eventbrite, Square App, Squarespace, and more) and the limited capacity of the venue. The Venmo platform has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing poetry series Let's Write Poetry Saturdays from January 2024 to present. If experience any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.
Youth-Centered Broadside Poetry Workshop (Copy)
Youth-Centered Broadside Poetry Workshop
Join The American Poetry Museum for poet María Fernanda’s Youth-Centered Broadside Poetry Workshop.
Create a broadside of your poetry. Participants may select a literary work by another writer to give homage to. A broadside is an art print with text and drawings. Participants will receive, in-person, access to printmaking paper, stencils, stamps, and typewriters to create a broadside.
Generative writing exercises will be interwoven with literary works printed by letterpresses.
HOW TO RSVP for Youth Poetry Workshop — RSVP-ing helps us note the capacity. Walk-in’s welcomed. Here’s how:
Please click “Register” below; it will take you to the Venmo of @poetrywithmariafernanda.
In the What’s this for? entry window, please type in
(1) “Broadside”
(2) your preferred email address
(3) $10 per person. You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details!
Reminder: You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details once registered.
Why Venmo?
The registration is on Venmo due to the ratio between the ticketing platform fees (i.e., Eventbrite, Square App, Squarespace, and more) and the limited capacity of the venue. The Venmo platform has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing poetry series Let's Write Poetry Saturdays from January 2024 to present. If experience any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.
Youth-Centered Broadside Poetry Workshop
Youth-Centered Broadside Poetry Workshop
Join The American Poetry Museum for poet María Fernanda’s Youth-Centered Broadside Poetry Workshop.
Create a broadside of your poetry. Participants may select a literary work by another writer to give homage to. A broadside is an art print with text and drawings. Participants will receive, in-person, access to printmaking paper, stencils, stamps, and typewriters to create a broadside.
Generative writing exercises will be interwoven with literary works printed by letterpresses.
HOW TO RSVP for Youth Poetry Workshop — RSVP-ing helps us note the capacity. Walk-in’s welcomed. Here’s how:
Please click “Register” below; it will take you to the Venmo of @poetrywithmariafernanda.
In the What’s this for? entry window, please type in
(1) “Broadside”
(2) your preferred email address
(3) $10 per person. You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details!
Reminder: You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details once registered.
Why Venmo?
The registration is on Venmo due to the ratio between the ticketing platform fees (i.e., Eventbrite, Square App, Squarespace, and more) and the limited capacity of the venue. The Venmo platform has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing poetry series Let's Write Poetry Saturdays from January 2024 to present. If experience any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.
Youth-Centered Broadside Poetry Workshop
Youth-Centered Broadside Poetry Workshop
Join The American Poetry Museum for poet María Fernanda’s Youth-Centered Broadside Poetry Workshop.
Create a broadside of your poetry. Participants may select a literary work by another writer to give homage to. A broadside is an art print with text and drawings. Participants will receive, in-person, access to printmaking paper, stencils, stamps, and typewriters to create a broadside.
Generative writing exercises will be interwoven with literary works printed by letterpresses.
HOW TO RSVP for Youth Poetry Workshop — RSVP-ing helps us note the capacity. Walk-in’s welcomed. Here’s how:
Please click “Register” below; it will take you to the Venmo of @poetrywithmariafernanda.
In the What’s this for? entry window, please type in
(1) “Broadside”
(2) your preferred email address
(3) $10 per person. You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details!
Reminder: You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details once registered.
Why Venmo?
The registration is on Venmo due to the ratio between the ticketing platform fees (i.e., Eventbrite, Square App, Squarespace, and more) and the limited capacity of the venue. The Venmo platform has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing poetry series Let's Write Poetry Saturdays from January 2024 to present. If experience any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.
The Concept Book: The Resolution
END OF JULY — The Concept Book: Manuscript Support
Considering writing a book of poems? Not sure where to begin? This is a four-part, drop-in series. Each of the four sessions focus on a different stage of the writing process. Attend one or all sessions!
All sessions are geared toward writing a book of poems, a visual art book featuring poetry, or a chapbook. María Fernanda will provide examples.
Join The American Poetry Museum for this series of workshops focusing on building your manuscript. This experience invites both writers at the beginning of their process and writers who have written sections of their manuscript and are looking for feedback. The Concept Book is the idea that manuscript is formed around one or two major themes that house a series of poems and expressions. Final works will be presented at a culminating event. There will be four parts: Theme, Introduction, Arc, and Resolution.
The Theme
This workshop will help us determine what we want our manuscript to focus on. The first part of the class will be generative for those deciding what to write about. In the second half of the class, participants are invited to bring three poems that they have already written prior to this workshop to receive support in deciding which theme might be more resonant for a Concept Book.
The Introduction
There are infinite ways to draw your reader in. This workshop focuses on examples of how various authors have chosen to invite their reading into their poetry manuscript. For example, participants may notice some authors begin their work with a brief poem speaking broadly to the book’s overall theme while other authors may open their books with an extensive poem, to both immerse the reader and exercise the reader's commitment to continue reading. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
The Arc
This workshop is about identifying the strongest threads and patterns in your manuscript, as well as the rising and landing across them. This is not about asserting a particular narrative nor a definitive storyline. Instead, this is about discussing what we are communicating to the reader and what do we want to say now, such as Why this approach?, Why by this author? We will discuss the first part of arranging a manuscript. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
The Resolution
This workshop focuses on examples of how various authors have chosen to close their poetry manuscript. For example, participants may notice some authors close their manuscripts with a sense of questioning while other authors may have a definitive ending that invites the reader to re-read the inner plotlines and minor themes throughout the book. We will discuss the second part of arranging a manuscript. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
This experience invites both writers at the beginning of their process and writers who have written sections of their manuscript and are looking for feedback. The Concept Book is the idea that manuscript is formed around one or two major themes that house a series of poems and expressions. Final works will be presented at a culminating event.
HOW TO RSVP for The Concept Book — RSVP-ing helps us determine the number of people to expect. Walk-in’s welcomed. Here’s how:
Please click “Register” below; it will take you to the Venmo of @poetrywithmariafernanda.
In the What’s this for? entry window, please type in
(1) “Resolution”
(2) your preferred email address
(3) $10. You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details!
Reminder: You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details once registered.
Why Venmo?
The registration is on Venmo due to the ratio between the ticketing platform fees (i.e., Eventbrite, Square App, Squarespace, and more) and the limited capacity of the venue. The Venmo platform has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing poetry series Let's Write Poetry Saturdays from January 2024 to present. If experience any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.
The Concept Book: The Arc
NEXT WEEK — The Concept Book: Manuscript Support in Four Parts
Considering writing a book of poems? Not sure where to begin? This is a four-part, drop-in series. Each of the four sessions focus on a different stage of the writing process. Attend one or all sessions!
All sessions are geared toward writing a book of poems, a visual art book featuring poetry, or a chapbook. María Fernanda will provide examples.
Join The American Poetry Museum for this series of workshops focusing on building your manuscript. This experience invites both writers at the beginning of their process and writers who have written sections of their manuscript and are looking for feedback. The Concept Book is the idea that manuscript is formed around one or two major themes that house a series of poems and expressions. Final works will be presented at a culminating event. There will be four parts: Theme, Introduction, Arc, and Resolution.
The Theme
This workshop will help us determine what we want our manuscript to focus on. The first part of the class will be generative for those deciding what to write about. In the second half of the class, participants are invited to bring three poems that they have already written prior to this workshop to receive support in deciding which theme might be more resonant for a Concept Book.
The Introduction
There are infinite ways to draw your reader in. This workshop focuses on examples of how various authors have chosen to invite their reading into their poetry manuscript. For example, participants may notice some authors begin their work with a brief poem speaking broadly to the book’s overall theme while other authors may open their books with an extensive poem, to both immerse the reader and exercise the reader's commitment to continue reading. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
The Arc
This workshop is about identifying the strongest threads and patterns in your manuscript, as well as the rising and landing across them. This is not about asserting a particular narrative nor a definitive storyline. Instead, this is about discussing what we are communicating to the reader and what do we want to say now, such as Why this approach?, Why by this author? We will discuss the first part of arranging a manuscript. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
The Resolution
This workshop focuses on examples of how various authors have chosen to close their poetry manuscript. For example, participants may notice some authors close their manuscripts with a sense of questioning while other authors may have a definitive ending that invites the reader to re-read the inner plotlines and minor themes throughout the book. We will discuss the second part of arranging a manuscript. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
This experience invites both writers at the beginning of their process and writers who have written sections of their manuscript and are looking for feedback. The Concept Book is the idea that manuscript is formed around one or two major themes that house a series of poems and expressions. Final works will be presented at a culminating event.
HOW TO RSVP for The Concept Book — RSVP-ing helps us determine the number of people to expect. Walk-in’s welcomed. Here’s how:
Please click “Register” below; it will take you to the Venmo of @poetrywithmariafernanda.
In the What’s this for? entry window, please type in
(1) “Arc”
(2) your preferred email address
(3) $10. You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details!
Reminder: You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details once registered.
Why Venmo?
The registration is on Venmo due to the ratio between the ticketing platform fees (i.e., Eventbrite, Square App, Squarespace, and more) and the limited capacity of the venue. The Venmo platform has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing poetry series Let's Write Poetry Saturdays from January 2024 to present. If experience any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.
The Concept Book: Introduction
TODAY — The Concept Book: Manuscript Support in Four Parts
Considering writing a book of poems? Not sure where to begin? This is a four-part, drop-in series. Each of the four sessions focus on a different stage of the writing process. Attend one or all sessions!
All sessions are geared toward writing a book of poems, a visual art book featuring poetry, or a chapbook. María Fernanda will provide examples.
Join The American Poetry Museum for this series of workshops focusing on building your manuscript. This experience invites both writers at the beginning of their process and writers who have written sections of their manuscript and are looking for feedback. The Concept Book is the idea that manuscript is formed around one or two major themes that house a series of poems and expressions. Final works will be presented at a culminating event. There will be four parts: Theme, Introduction, Arc, and Resolution.
TThe Theme
This workshop will help us determine what we want our manuscript to focus on. The first part of the class will be generative for those deciding what to write about. In the second half of the class, participants are invited to bring three poems that they have already written prior to this workshop to receive support in deciding which theme might be more resonant for a Concept Book.
The Introduction
There are infinite ways to draw your reader in. This workshop focuses on examples of how various authors have chosen to invite their reading into their poetry manuscript. For example, participants may notice some authors begin their work with a brief poem speaking broadly to the book’s overall theme while other authors may open their books with an extensive poem, to both immerse the reader and exercise the reader's commitment to continue reading. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
The Arc
This workshop is about identifying the strongest threads and patterns in your manuscript, as well as the rising and landing across them. This is not about asserting a particular narrative nor a definitive storyline. Instead, this is about discussing what we are communicating to the reader and what do we want to say now, such as Why this approach?, Why by this author? We will discuss the first part of arranging a manuscript. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
The Resolution
This workshop focuses on examples of how various authors have chosen to close their poetry manuscript. For example, participants may notice some authors close their manuscripts with a sense of questioning while other authors may have a definitive ending that invites the reader to re-read the inner plotlines and minor themes throughout the book. We will discuss the second part of arranging a manuscript. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
This experience invites both writers at the beginning of their process and writers who have written sections of their manuscript and are looking for feedback. The Concept Book is the idea that manuscript is formed around one or two major themes that house a series of poems and expressions. Final works will be presented at a culminating event.
HOW TO RSVP for The Concept Book — RSVP-ing helps us determine the number of people to expect. Walk-in’s welcomed. Here’s how:
Please click “Register” below; it will take you to the Venmo of @poetrywithmariafernanda.
In the What’s this for? entry window, please type in
(1) “Intro”
(2) your preferred email address
(3) $10. You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details!
Reminder: You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details once registered.
Why Venmo?
The registration is on Venmo due to the ratio between the ticketing platform fees (i.e., Eventbrite, Square App, Squarespace, and more) and the limited capacity of the venue. The Venmo platform has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing poetry series Let's Write Poetry Saturdays from January 2024 to present. If experience any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.
The Concept Book: The Theme
The Concept Book: Manuscript Support in Four Parts
Considering writing a book of poems? Not sure where to begin? This is a four-part, drop-in series. Each of the four sessions focus on a different stage of the writing process. Attend one or all sessions!
All sessions are geared toward writing a book of poems, a visual art book featuring poetry, or a chapbook. María Fernanda will provide examples.
Join The American Poetry Museum for this series of workshops focusing on building your manuscript. This experience invites both writers at the beginning of their process and writers who have written sections of their manuscript and are looking for feedback. The Concept Book is the idea that manuscript is formed around one or two major themes that house a series of poems and expressions. Final works will be presented at a culminating event. There will be four parts: Theme, Introduction, Arc, and Resolution.
The Theme
This workshop will help us determine what we want our manuscript to focus on. The first part of the class will be generative for those deciding what to write about. In the second half of the class, participants are invited to bring three poems that they have already written prior to this workshop to receive support in deciding which theme might be more resonant for a Concept Book.
The Introduction
There are infinite ways to draw your reader in. This workshop focuses on examples of how various authors have chosen to invite their reading into their poetry manuscript. For example, participants may notice some authors begin their work with a brief poem speaking broadly to the book’s overall theme while other authors may open their books with an extensive poem, to both immerse the reader and exercise the reader's commitment to continue reading. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
The Arc
This workshop is about identifying the strongest threads and patterns in your manuscript, as well as the rising and landing across them. This is not about asserting a particular narrative nor a definitive storyline. Instead, this is about discussing what we are communicating to the reader and what do we want to say now, such as Why this approach?, Why by this author? We will discuss the first part of arranging a manuscript. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
The Resolution
This workshop focuses on examples of how various authors have chosen to close their poetry manuscript. For example, participants may notice some authors close their manuscripts with a sense of questioning while other authors may have a definitive ending that invites the reader to re-read the inner plotlines and minor themes throughout the book. We will discuss the second part of arranging a manuscript. Participants who are bringing already-written work may arrive after the first 30 minutes, skipping the generative portion.
This experience invites both writers at the beginning of their process and writers who have written sections of their manuscript and are looking for feedback. The Concept Book is the idea that manuscript is formed around one or two major themes that house a series of poems and expressions. Final works will be presented at a culminating event.
Poetry & Presence Lecture Series
Poetry & Presence Lecture Series: Mariah “Beyond Your Definition” Barber
Join The American Poetry Museum for poet María Fernanda’s three-part lecture series celebrating poetic thought and the communities that shape it. Q&A to follow.
Thursday, June 25 at 6:00pm
Mariah “Beyond Your Definition” Barber (they/she) is a multidisciplinary/storyteller spoken word artist, international host and activist. Creating social justice-oriented art for the last 15 years, Beyond Your Definition has also appeared at World Pride, several climate justice rallies, the Biden White House as a World Aids Day Keynote speaker and for the National LGBT Museum. Beyond Your Definition has ranked 20th in the Women of the World Poetry Slam and 19th in the Stonewall International Queer Poetry Slam. Beyond Your Definition is passionate about being a teaching artist, helping the youth to craft their opinions about the world’s most pressing issues. They leave audiences feeling seen and thinking about how they, too, can fight for human rights!
HOW TO RSVP for Poetry and Presence — RSVP-ing helps us determine the amount of free bites (food) and free beverages to have available. Walk-in’s welcomed. Here’s how:
Please click “Register” below; it will take you to the Venmo of @poetrywithmariafernanda.
In the What’s this for? entry window, please type in
(1) “BYD”
(2) your preferred email address
(3) $10. You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details!
Reminder: You will receive an official Welcome Note closer to the date with the event details once registered.
Why Venmo?
The registration is on Venmo due to the ratio between the ticketing platform fees (i.e., Eventbrite, Square App, Squarespace, and more) and the limited capacity of the venue. The Venmo platform has continued to be used successfully by participants of María Fernanda's ongoing poetry series Let's Write Poetry Saturdays from January 2024 to present. If experience any concerns, please contact our team here to support you.
Poetry & Presence Lecture Series
Poetry & Presence Lecture Series: Angeley “LaNegraSpeaks” Gibb
Join The American Poetry Museum for the launch of María Fernanda’s three-part lecture series celebrating poetic thought and the communities that shape it. Q&A to follow.
Saturday, March 28 at 6:00pm
Hailing from Brooklyn, NY with deep familial ties to Limon, Costa Rica, Angeley Crawford Gibb, centers her work on the intricacies of identity formation, reconciliation of Black and Brown people to themselves, and dismantling white supremacy in the lives of her students and others. Crawford’s work stems from her desire to bridge the gap of cultural and ethnic divides. A published writer, her pieces "No Hablo Español – Ah Don Speak Spanish” and “Speaking in Other Tongues,” found in the New Afrikan Journal of Culture, Politics, and Consciousness speak to the triple consciousness that can be found within the Afro-Latin, Caribbean and American communities that bore her.
Through acknowledging the complexity of history and culture, Crawford displays the luminosity of her heritage and uses it as an educational tool. She has created and participated in racial justice workshops such as the viral video series, Define: BLACK and Afro-Latina in America which explored ethnic and racial identity of Latinos in America. Currently, she is an Educator and Resource specialist in the DMV area with a concentration on the Afro-Latin Diaspora and diversity and inclusion in the classroom.
RSVP for Poetry and Presence — RSVP-ing helps us determine the amount of bites and beverages to have available. Walk-in’s welcomed.
Poetry Spring Market: Rising of a Stream
Poetry Spring Market: Rising of a Stream
RSVP for Poetry Spring Market below— RSVP-ing will help estimate the amount of bites and beverages to have available! Walk-in’s welcome!
Join The American Poetry Museum for award-winning poet María Fernanda’s unique curation of a winter market featuring stationary, notebooks, poetry books, performances, creative activations and more!
Saturday, March 28 at 2:00pm - 6:00pm
716 Monroe St NE, Washington DC
FEATURING
Archival Storytelling
Sasha Charlemagne (She/They) is a writer, arts researcher and archivist based in Washington, DC. Her critical practice is centered around illuminating intimate aspects of Black queer femininity, providing space for introspection and transformation.
Sarah Matthews is a printmaker and book artist whose work explores race, equality, gender, and social justice through layered prints and artist books. Her practice challenges stereotypes and highlights the strength and beauty of underrepresented communities. She will be bringing zines, prints, stickers, and tote bags to this market. You find her work at iamsarahmatthews.com. IG: @iamsarahmatthews
Brandon fell in love with taking pictures at the age of twelve, and at various times in his life was quite focused on his photography. Brandon is the author of several books of poetry. His photography was exhibited several times at Friendship Heights Village (Bethesda), Greenbelt Federal Courthouse, American Poetry Museum and the DC Public Library. Brandon’s work is published in Light, Glorious Light (2023) from LensWork. See his photography at bdjohnsonphoto.com.
Poetry Activations
Adé Oluokun is a writer and researcher specializing in Anthropology, Literature and Black Studies. She is currently a Research Assistant at The Center of Equitable Economy and Sustainable Society. Her work explores love, culture, sexuality, race, gender, and spirituality. She has been published in Essence Magazine and previously a Creator in Residence at MoCADA.
Jonae Davis (they/them) is a musician, songwriter, and occasional singer from Richmond, Virginia with a heart for Washington, DC. Heavily influenced by the rich-musical scene of their hometown, including live jazz, R&B, gospel, and Neo-soul, Jonae creates music that is a fusion of each.
Live Open Mic
Bring YOUR poems, songs, raps, monologues, positive affirmations and more!
This afternoon includes a Special Edition of The Hour: Open Mic. Sign up on-site to share your work aloud at this special hour of this open mic series. Learn more about The Hour series here.
and more!
The Hour: Open Mic series
“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 Black West
The Black West
Read several literary artists who are deepening the latest discussions on community and collective power in Arizona. We will read poems spanning from the 1970s to the 2020s by Black poets whom continue to impact various desert communities.
Saturday
January 17 at 2:00pm
Not Another Day Off
Register directly at the Folger Shakespeare Library by clicking “RSVP” below.
Poety: On Duende and Surrealism
On Duende and Surrealism
Participants will be prompted to create literary works inspired by Federico García Lorca’s concept of duende, Salvador Dalí’s concept of surrealism, as well as the two artists’ friendship.
Saturday
January 10 at 12:30pm
Poetry & Presence Lecture Series
Poetry & Presence Lecture Series: Kenny Carroll
Join The American Poetry Museum for María Fernanda’s three-part lecture series celebrating poetic thought and the communities that shape it. This third lecture will feature writer Kenny Carroll. Q&A to follow.
Monday, December 15 at 6:00pm
Kenny Carroll is a writer and poet born and raised in DC. In 2017 he was selected as the 2017 DC Youth Poet Laureate. In 2019 received the Thomas Lux Scholarship from Sarah Lawrence. His work has been featured in Georgia Review, Poetry.Onl, Lamplack, and Poetry London among others. He is a Watering Hole, Breadloaf, Rosemary's House and Obsidian fellow. In 2023 he was selected by Roger Reeves as a Cave Canem Starshine and Clay fellow.
RSVP for Poetry and Presence
National Gallery of Art: Where We At!
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.
National Gallery of Art: Where We At!
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.
National Gallery of Art: Where We At!
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.
Poetry & Presence Lecture Series
Poetry & Presence Lecture Series
Join The American Poetry Museum for the launch of María Fernanda’s three-part lecture series celebrating poetic thought and our communities that shape it. Q&A to follow.
Tuesday, December 9 at 6:00pm — María Fernanda
Sunday, December 14 at 5:00pm — Angeley “LaNegraSpeaks” Gibb
Monday, December 15 at 6:00pm — Kenny Carroll
RSVP for Poetry & Presence
Break a Vase
Break a Vase: Writing the Zuihitsu
Participants will learn the classic Japanese genre Zuihitsu, defined by its literary emulation of a painter’s brushstrokes.
Thursday
December 4 at 6:00pm
The American Center in Moscow
The American Center in Moscow
Об Американском Центре В нашем виртуальном сообществе есть все: и мечтатели, и творцы, и генераторы идей, и те, кто любит учиться, и те, кто любит учить. Присоединяйтесь к нам! Join award-winning poet María Fernanda for a live, virtual performance in Moscow!
Monday
December 1 at 6:00pmMSK / 11:00amET / 8:00amPT
Blues Poetry & The Cento (4 weeks) — Phoenix MST
Course Description:Blues poems have many forms. The first half of this poetry workshop considers various forms of the blues poem, both sonically and contextually. To honor the foundational contributions of blues women and femmes in music, generative writing exercises will be shaped by their song lyrics and poetry, alike. For the second half of the workshop, we will write “centos,” a poetry form named after the Latin word for garment pieces sewn together to create a patchwork. Writing exercises will specifically echo the African and African American traditions of quilting, also known as Nsaduaso or Kente. Participants will leave with two new poems. For further reading, I recommend one of my favorite books, author Daphne Duval Harrison’s Black Pearls: Blues Queens of the 1920s.
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.
Years That Ask | Workshop
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 Hour: Open Mic series
“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 Hour: Open Mic series
“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.
Making Home — a poetry workshop with María Fernanda
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.
Archiving the Self
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.
How to Begin
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.
Inner Freedom — Poetry Workshop
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.
Drop-in Writing Prompts
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.
Honoring Nikki Giovanni: A Close-Reading
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