- This just in. I received an E-Mail from Bellows Falls native, Clara Rose Thornton, asking me to spread the word, which I’m glad to do. If you’re a high school or college student, enjoy poetry and want to learn more, the following might be of interest.
The innovative, six-part InkBlot Complex Poetry Workshop aims to lift poetry from the page and reveal how it is a living force in daily life. Originally taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago to great acclaim, its interactive nature and inclusion of multiple art forms leaves dry, academic notions of poetry behind. The anticipated New Hampshire debut is geared toward high school and college-age participants. The workshop culls from the rich legacy of Chicago’s underground poetry scene, while universalizing its methods and practices. It functions through three tenets: 1) Presentation of the art form as a living element of our daily world, 2) individualized, personal enrichment and free range of expression for each student, and 3) artistic cultivation through unexpected means. Taught by seasoned arts journalist, cultural critic, and poet Clara Rose Thornton, this six-session event explores the poetry we encounter all around us—in the songs we hear, the ways we express ourselves, even the advertisements we see. In the final session students then create their own works with an increased sense of connection to the way words construct meaning. All materials will be provided, and fresh, local, organic refreshments served. Instructor Clara Rose Thornton is as an internationally published film, wine, and visual arts critic; music journalist; poet; and book and magazine editor. Originally hailing from Chicago, she has been active in the national performance poetry milieu for ten years, acting as a judge in slam competitions in two states (Oregon and Illinois)—including at the legendary Green Mill jazz lounge in Chicago, where the first poetry slam took place in 1986—and as a judge in the 2010 New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud. Her writings on culture and the arts have appeared nationally in Stop Smiling: The Magazine for High-Minded Lowlifes, Honest Tune: The American Journal of Jam, and Time Out Chicago. Currently residing in an artists’ colony in Windham County, she acts as the weekly arts columnist for the Rutland Herald, staff writer for Southern Vermont Arts & Living, and a regional correspondent for ArtScope. A portfolio, bio, and roster of writing and editing services can be found at WWW.CLARAROSETHORNTON.COM. The InkBlot Complex Poetry Workshop is presented by The Starving Artist, and happens every Thurs. in May—6, 13, 20, 27—and the first two in June—3, 10—from 4 to 5 p.m. at Starving Artist, 10 West Street in Downtown Keene. $100 early registration, $120 after April 15. * Partial attendance negotiable.
Press Release (Contact Information)
Poetry Workshop Flier (Contact, Dates & Pricing)
