Category: Uncategorized

I am honored to have the history of my fanzine Scorpion (1996-2001) captured in the new book Keep Your Ear to the Ground: A History of Punk Fanzines in Washington, DC by John R. Davis.

It’s a beautiful book with great photography and stories. Check the book out at Georgetown Press.

I will also be part of a talk featuring the book “Keep Your Ear to the Ground: A History of Punk Fanzines in Washington, D.C.,” by John R. Davis.

The History Of Punk Zines at Mojomala Books, Records & Cool Stuff
Friday, Jan 23 from 7pm to 8:30pm EST
More info at https://lnkd.in/eakqk-zW

About the Event

Join us at Mojomala for a deep dive into the history of punk fanzines and what it takes to make them. Mojomala is hosting a discussion on zinemaking and the history of punk fanzines.

Moderated by Chris L. Terry (co-editor of Black Punk Now, author of Black Card), the panel will consist of John R. Davis, author of the new book, Keep Your Ear to the Ground: A History of Punk Fanzines in Washington, D.C., Willona Sloan (writer and Scorpion zine editor in the late 1990s/early 2000s), and Mark Robinson (member of Unrest, founder of Teen Beat Records, editor of The Straight Line zine in the 1980s). Mark will also perform a musical set following the discussion!

Dates: Mondays, June 21 – July 26 (no class on July 5). Five class session
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EST
Cost: $125
Register here

The past year has seen our entire world change, from the COVID-19 pandemic, to the global protests against racial violence and police brutality, to mass shootings, more racially-motivated violence, and on and on. Writers should be at the forefront, creating positive change for their communities.

As writers, we practice world-building as part of our craft. This workshop will focus on writing the world you want to live in. Participants will focus on a social issue about which they passionate, and will develop a writing project that they will develop over the course of the workshop.

The workshop is open to writers of all skill levels, ages 18+.

I am excited to be participating in the upcoming Women’s History Month Virtual Festival with this free writing workshop! Hope to see you there.

Virtual Writing Hour: Madame CJ Walker and Alice Dunbar Nelson
Date: Saturday, March 27th 2021
Time: 3- 4pm EST
Cost: Free
Register here.

Join us for a virtual creative writing hour. We’ve set up a space where writers can create, connect and draw inspiration from portraits of Madam CJ Walker and Alice Dunbar Nelson. The Portrait Gallery will provide the writing prompts. Please bring a writing utensil and paper or have your computer or tablet at hand!

The festival will also have story time, drawing classes, lectures and activities for art lovers of all ages to celebrate Women’s History Month. It’s all free. You just have register. Reserve your spot!

Let’s Talk About It: Understanding Race and Culture Through Portraiture and Writing
Wednesday, September 30, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM EDT
Cost: Free
Register here

Please join the National Portrait Gallery and DC-based writer Willona Sloan as we engage in creative writing exercises designed to encourage meaningful dialogue around topics that include race and cultural identity. Through guided looking of works of portraiture from the collection of the Portrait Gallery we will write to celebrate and affirm diverse perspectives and identities with the goal of fostering community across cultures. This program is intended for writers of all levels who are 18+.

Virtual Teacher Workshop | Portraits Inspiring Student Writing about Current Events
Session I – Strike a Prose for Teachers
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 3:30 — 5:00pm EST
Cost: Free
Register here
Learn teaching strategies while generating new writing of your own in this creative writing workshop. We will use portraits of social justice activists from the Portrait Gallery’s collection as the inspiration for creative writing that explores current political issues, including the ongoing protests for police reform and racial equity. The workshop will include guided nonfiction and poetry writing exercises.

Virtual Teacher Workshop | Session II – Portraits, Pens & Protests
Wednesday, September 23, 2020 3:30 — 5:00pm EST
Cost: Free
Register here
In this workshop, we will share strategies for using portraits to inspire creative writing about current political events. The workshop will include interactive discussion and mini-writing exercises, designed to help you implement these strategies in your classroom. The workshop will build on Session I but may also be taken as an independent workshop.

Virtual Writing Hour
Tuesdays, 5:00 – 6:00 PM EST
Cost: Free
Register here
I host a weekly, free virtual writing happy hour on Tuesdays. Please join us whenever you can. We look at one work of art that inspires the writing prompt. You can also work on your own writing during the time.  It’s just a fun way to gather in a collective creative space.

 

Load up your cheese plate and join me for a virtual, creative writing hour at the National Portrait Gallery!

Virtual Writing Happy Hour

Bring your own happy hour beverage of choice and write with us at the Virtual Writing Hour at the National Portrait Gallery. Our goal is to create a virtual space where writers can create, connect, and draw inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s online exhibitions. We will provide writing prompts, and you are also welcome to bring your own writing project-in-progress. We will write for about 30 minutes and end each session with a brief discussion or reading.

The happy hours will be held on Tuesdays at 5:00 PM, beginning on Tuesday, April 21.  Choose the date you wish to join us. Register here.

I hope you are well. I am planning to start a weekly newsletter with creative writing prompts for adults and children for the next couple of months, with the goal of inspiring creative writing, reducing anxiety, and providing a little joy! It will also help me to alleviate some of my own anxiousness.

If you want in, please send me your email address at creativegeniusdc@gmail.com or you can send me a DM. If you are already on my mailing list, please email me to let me know that you would like to receive this newsletter.

Take care,
-W

Who Am I and Who Are We? (creative nonfiction)
This is workshop has been postponed. New date TBD.

What does it mean to be “American” in 2020? In this creative nonfiction workshop, you will draw inspiration from Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today, which features 50 artists responding to the current political and social context in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. We will employ techniques from fiction and nonfiction writing to explore issues of identity, self-representation, and connectedness, as we tackle exhibition themes such as immigration, race, sexuality, violence, community, and family.

Strike A Prose: Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
This is workshop has been postponed. New date TBD.

In this creative writing workshop, you will develop flash fiction inspired by the short videos in Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today, which features 50 artists responding to the current political and social context in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. We will watch and discuss videos featured in the exhibition, and practice writing characters, setting, conflict, and action for flash fiction stories that grab readers’ attention.

Strike A Prose: Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
This is workshop has been postponed. New date TBD.

In this poetry writing workshop, you will draw inspiration from Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today, which features 50 artists responding to the current political and social context in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. We will discuss how to use works of art to inspire your writing; how to experiment with voice, rhythm, and form; and how to develop poems that communicate a social message, connect with readers, and tell a compelling story.

video: Hugo Crosthwaite, A Portrait of Berenice Sarmiento Chávez

Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Capitol Cider House, 3930 Georgia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011
Cost: $25
Register here

Sip on cider and write!

Ernest Hemingway’s daily writing goal was to start by writing “one true sentence.” In this writing workshop, you will practice writing fearlessly, taking risks, and digging for your own version of truth. Open to writers of all levels. Writing prompts will be provided. You will walk away with three new pieces of writing and some new writing buddies.

Your ticket also includes one pour of cider.

I had the distinct honor to host a vision board workshop at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. It was a really beautiful and positive experience for me. Such great creative energy in the room!

Check out these upcoming youth writing workshops that I will be hosting at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Feb! There are workshops for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Continue reading “Strike A Prose – Youth Workshops (Feb)”