Creative Writing Workshop for High School–College Students with Taylor Mali
The Humanity of Metaphor

Friday, April 19, 11am–1pm
Students: $15

Cultures worldwide use metaphorical language to convey complex ideas about what it means to be human. Considering such questions as What does it mean to be alive?, What is my purpose?, What is death?, and Who am I? requires the ability to think abstractly. 

This is where metaphors come in. Metaphors simplify abstractions by equating them to concrete objects; e.g., Life is a long day’s journey; Death is a ravenous animal; and I am a cracked river stone. 

Metaphors are the lifeblood of poetry, yet their use can be daunting for new writers. 

In this workshop . . .

Poet Taylor Mali will draw participants into the magical power of metaphor and help them break through the barriers that keep them from using metaphors in their own writing. They’ll play Metaphor Dice—Mali's addictive, imaginative game that aids writers to think (and write!) more figuratively—and invent their own metaphors.

No experience is necessary. Students of all levels and abilities are welcome. All will leave with a higher level of understanding of metaphor usage and the confidence to use metaphors artfully in their writing.

A Workshop for Teachers with Taylor Mali
Restocking Your Quiver
Professional development for all teachers, both active and retired

Friday, April 19, 3–5pm
Cost: $50.

Have fun, gain skills, and return to the classroom with writing prompts and creative strategies to get even your mopiest student to look up and try something new.

Perhaps best known for his viral YouTube slam-poetry performance, “What Teachers Make,” poet Taylor Mali knows all about the joys and challenges of teaching. That’s because he’s a veteran teacher himself. He’s also a student of former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins and a lauded poet in his own right.

This workshop will breathe fresh life into the art and science of your teaching-writing process. Mali will share his classroom expertise, refilling your writing quiver with gems like Rhyme Time; Slam Poem Mad Lib; and Thing, Direction, and Discovery. You’ll receive a big dose of inspiration along the way.

In this workshop, you will:

●      Gain effective teaching tools and creative activities.
●      Try out Mali’s tried-and-true prompts yourself.
●      Learn how to re-infuse the writing process with excitement.
●      Expand your repertoire with a new array of writing techniques.
●      Return to the classroom refreshed and ready to offer students something new.

ABOUT TAYLOR MALI

Taylor Mali is one of the most well-known poets to have emerged from the poetry slam movement and one of the original poets to appear on the HBO series “Def Poetry Jam.” A four-time National Poetry Slam champion, he is the author of four collections of poetry and a chapbook, The Whetting Stone, which won the 2017 Rattle Chapbook Prize. He is the author of the acclaimed nonfiction book What Teachers Make: In Praise of the Greatest Job in the World. In April 2012, Mali donated 12 inches of his hair to the American Cancer Society after convincing 1,000 people to become teachers. He lives in Brooklyn where he curates the Page Meets Stage reading series at the Bowery Poetry Club.

KUDOS

 “Taylor Mali is a ranting comic showman and literary provocateur.” —The New York Times

 “To watch Mali is to watch a full-body poetic assault—with humor his central weapon.” —The Portland Phoenix 

Come back for Taylor Mali’s performance at AMP the following day. Click here for tickets.

SPONSORS

Made possible by a grant from Connecticut Humanities (CTH), an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs.

Presented in part with support from CT State Northwestern and with funding from the Northwestern Community College Foundation.