Taking Off the Mask: Creating Poems to Celebrate Ourselves
Join me for a free and fun workshop hosted by Bloombars (Washington, DC)
Date: Sunday, August 1, 2021 Time: 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EST Cost: Free Register: To register, please email Gowri at gowri@bloombars.com. Registration is required.
In this interactive poetry writing workshop, we will create poems that fully celebrate our identities, cultures, talents, and gifts. We will engage in guided writing exercises, using works of poetry and visual art as writing prompts. Open to writers of all ages and all levels. This event is supported, in part, by Poets & Writers.
Image Credit: Destitute Pea Pickers in California. Mother of Seven Children. Age 32. (“Migrant Mother”) by Dorothea Lange via National Portrait Gallery
Join me for a new series of writing workshops in connection with the exhibition “The Sweat of Their Face: Portraying American Workers” at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition combines art and social history with representations of American laborers across genres and centuries of art.
Strike a Prose: Fiction Inspired by “The Sweat of Their Face”
In this creative writing workshop, we will use the photographs and paintings from the exhibition to inspire short stories. We will read and discuss fiction focusing on issues of labor and social justice in the U.S. and write our own stories. Open to writers of all levels ages 18+. All workshops are FREE.
Strike a Prose: American Workers in the 20th Century (Fiction & Nonfiction)
This creative writing workshop will focus on issues of twentieth century labor. We will read and discuss short stories and historical essays, and draw on the artwork in the exhibition to create new writing. Open to writers of all levels ages 18 +.
Strike a Prose: Stories on Their Faces (Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry)
Using guided writing prompts, we will develop stories and poems inspired by the portraits and images from the exhibition. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry prompts will be offered. Open to writers of all levels ages 18+.
Engaging stories can help to connect people to your company. Through your stories, you can establish trust. People can learn what your company values and how you do business. In today’s marketplace, the most successful companies are the ones that create a brand image that their customers can identify with and relate to directly.
Whether your organization is new to storytelling or if you want to take it to the next level, here are some tips for creating a winning strategy:
1. Look at what you’re already doing. Analyze your various content channels. Where is your company’s content being disseminated and how often? Are you telling stories on any of your content channels? Is anyone clicking through to read them? Look at what’s working and expand on those positive results.
If you have stories posted that no one is reading, take the time to analyze the content. Are you sharing engaging and emotionally-resonant stories? Are you sharing new information? Are you motivating and inspiring the reader with content that they might want to act on or share?
I’m teaching six writing workshops at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in connection to groundbreaking media arts exhibition, Bill Viola: The Moving Portrait. We will use videos, images, and installations to generate creative writing.
video still: The Raft / Bill Viola Color / Bill Viola Studio
There are two of the same workshops per session. So, you can come to all three sessions!
Creative content has become a critical part of doing business. How well are you telling your organization’s story?
Whether your goal is to motivate your current donors, reach out to new donors, or secure grant funding, you need stories that convey the impact of your programs and services. If you’re not telling stories, you’re leaving money on the table.
In this one-day training, your team will learn:
Best practices for developing stories that inspire and motivate donors.
How to find and identify compelling stories.
How to plan an annual editorial calendar and production schedule.
How to track and evaluate how well your stories are performing.
Willona Sloan has several years of experience as a writer and content developer working with nonprofit organizations. Learn more about how to create a content culture at our organization.
Contact Willona about bringing this training to your organization.
From its homegrown hardcore punk scene to its grassroots activist movements, Washington, D.C. has a strong indie spirit. In a city where “Do It Yourself” is a mantra, that DIY spirit comes through in D.C.’s small but mighty specialty coffee scene. With their focus on quality and sustainability, indie coffee shops have gained a faithful following.
Willona M. Sloan 