upcoming grant deadline: 05/15/2024

upcoming grant deadline: 05/15/2024

back to blog

Cynthia Dewi Oka Leads a Migrant Poetry Workshop: Apply by February 3

Cynthia Dewi Oka (ACG '16) will be leading Sanctuary: A Migrant Poetry Workshop, exploring questions of belonging, safety and identity for (im)migrants in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Those interested in participating must apply by February 3.

This workshop will explore questions of belonging, safety, and identity for (im)migrants in the aftermath of election 2016 and the consolidation of racist, misogynist, and xenophobic forces in the United States. Participants will study poetry arising from migrant traditions, with an emphasis on poets of color and poets from the Global South whose works aim to resist, undermine and transform oppressive regimes. Participants will also write their own original poems and be supported through feedback and revision. Their work will be shared with the public through a culminating event and an online publication. Finally, participants will be exposed to additional relevant trainings, such as organizing or community defense, depending on the needs of the group.

The workshop will kick-off with a public reading featuring local poets on February 24, 2017, followed by 2-hour workshops on Saturdays from March 4 – April 1, and culminating in a public reading by participants on April 7.

There is room for 12 participants ages 16 and up who identify as members of (im)migrant, refugee, nondocumented and/or displaced communities, with priority given to women and LGBTQ people of color.

The workshop will be led by poet Cynthia Dewi Oka in partnership with Asian Arts Initiative, through funding provided by the Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grant. For more information, contact Cynthia at cynthia.oka@gmail.com.

back to blog back to top