Bring the Poet Laureate to Your Community!

Program Description
Poetry Across Kansas - Reading and Writing Our Way Home
The Poet Laureate project, Writing Across Kansas, strengthens the presence of poetry in Kansas, builds literary communities statewide, and enhances Kansans' sense of place through poetry. The project brings together new and emerging poets to create original poems and make community with one another through writing workshops and ongoing poetry circles (facilitated by local citizens who receive facilitator training and ongoing support through the project). The components of the project are:

• Reading and Writing Ourselves Home Poetry Workshops
  This writing workshop, open to teens and adults, helps people discover their own best poetry, and how reading and writing poetry can add greater meaning to their lives and communities. Each workshop, tailored to community needs and interests, draws on Kansas poets for discussion, reflection, study of craft and as writing prompts.

• Poetry Circles: One of the greatest gifts for any writer, whether new or experienced, is community with others who value the written word. To facilitate ongoing Poetry Circles in each community where she leads a writing workshop, Mirriam-Goldberg provides facilitator training (including a resource book of materials and ongoing on-line support) for writers, educators, health professionals, librarians, and others in each community who are interested in leading (or co-leading) Poetry Circles.

• Reading: Along with the writing workshop and poetry circle training and support, Dr. Mirriam-Goldberg will also present a reading of her work, which can be a joint reading with workshop participants and/or local poets.

Other Offerings

• Brave Voice: Writing and Singing for Your Life: Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg & Kelley Hunt offer workshops that integrate writing, singing, and songwriting. The workshop is based on the premise that when we open our voice in one form, we cannot help but to open our voice in our life, and from that process, recover and celebrate more of our creative spirit. These workshops are usually full-day sessions, but can be adapted for shorter or longer time periods. See http://bravevoice.com for more information.

• Brave Voice Collaborative Performance: Featuring the poetry of Mirriam-Goldberg and the musical genius of Hunt, these collaborative performances are deeply moving, highly entertaining and inspiring, and important touchstones for audiences. Performances can focus on the land and sky of living here, healing and recovery, cultivating courage during challenging times, finding our voice and community, or other themes. We also have a special performance entitled Dangerous Curves: Surviving and Thriving, which focuses on breast cancer awareness. When possible, we also bring in dancer Laura Ramberg or collaborate with local dance troupes.

• Readings: Mirriam-Goldberg also is available for poetry, memoir and fiction readings of her own work wherever she travels. Readings may range from 20 - 90 minutes in length, and may be combined with a community reading of other writers in the community.

• Presentation-Workshops: Presentations, which combine a talk and short writing workshop, are available on a wide variety of topics, such as:

• Writing from the Earth: Poetry and Sense of Place

• The Care and Feeding of the Writer: Sustaining Yourself in Your Craft

• Writing, Readings and Performance: Getting Your Work Out There

• The Spirit of Words: Writing as Life Practice

• Writing and Living Through Serious Illness

• Arts-Based Workshop Facilitation

• Writing Your New Story: Mythology and Poetry

Program Fees: For more information, please contact KSPoetLaureate@gmail.com. Fees range from $150-500 for readings, presentations and workshops; $1,000 for Poetry Across Kansas - Reading and Writing Ourselves Home; and additional rates for Brave Voice performances or collaborative workshops in addition to mileage and per diem. Given the financial challenge many of us are facing in Kansas because of the elimination of state arts funding, and the consequential elimination of federal matching dollars, the poet laureate encourages interested organizations to contact her to discuss reduced rates if and when needed.

Other pages:

• Poet Laureate Homepage
• Frequently-Asked Questions
• Dr. Denise Low, Poet Laureate of Kansas, 2007-09
• Dr. Jonathan Holden, Poet Laureate of Kansas, 2005-07
• Poetry Month In Kansas