Virtual poetry workshop instructors are Stacey McAdoo, Timothy “TJ” Medel, and Crystal C. Mercer.
The Arkansas Arts council has started a series of free poetry workshops to prepare high school students for the Arkansas Poetry Out Loud competition happening this March. The virtual poetry workshop series will help poetry lovers and students gain deeper insight and understanding of poetry and performance. The workshops will cover the basics of writing poetry and will emphasize the art of recitation. Workshops include Evidence of Understanding, Voice and Articulation and Dramatic Appropriateness.
Attendees should bring pencil, paper, and two poems from Poetry Out Loud. Poems are available at https://www.poetryoutloud.org. Participants may also bring their original poetry. The workshops are free and will be held via Zoom February 13, 27, and March 6, starting at 11am. Register via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-out-loud-virtual-workshops-tickets-135587372481.
Workshop instructors are:
Crystal C. Mercer, of Little Rock, is an all-around Afro-creative. Mercer is a textile artist, actor, activist, poet, playwright and author. She is founder and creative director of Columbus Creative Arts + Activism and is lead designer and merchant of Mercer Textile Mercantile.
Stacey McAdoo, of Little Rock, is a published author and poet. She was named the Arkansas Teacher of the Year in 2019. McAdoo is the founder of the Writeous Poets, a group of youth poets who travel and perform poetry.
Timothy “TJ” Medel is a No. 1, world-ranking spoken-word poet and is a teaching artist. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from the UALR. Medel has been featured on national television from FOX to CNN.
The workshop series is for high school students and is part of the Arkansas Poetry Out Loud program, but everyone is welcome. For more information about Poetry Out Loud, visit www.arkansasarts.org. For questions about the program or workshops, contact Drekkia Morning, at Drekkia.Morning@Arkansas.gov.
