BCA's Bronx Memoir Project (BMP) Workshop Series continues with Series V, Memoir and Poetry: The Perfect Pair led by Dara Kalima. This free virtual workshop series is open to all regardless of writing experience.
There is special synergy between poetry and memoir writing. Many poets such as Lucille Clifton, Joy Harjo, Maya Angelou and many others end up writing their memoirs. In this four-part memoir writing workshop, participants will explore the relationship between poetry and memoir, how they can serve as access points into the other, and how both can use the same sources for creative expression.
Class I: Memoir as a Poetic Source
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Workshop participants will use the rules of Natalie Goldberg’s writing practice to write memoir pieces that will also provide us with source material for use in poetic forms.
Class II: Mining Memories
Thursday, February 20, 2025
In this workshop, partiipants will revisit childhood memories. Courtesy of children rhymes, we will mine our memories to springboard us into writing poems and memoir essays.
Class III: Dig Into the Details
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Memoir and poetry tend to work best when one’s senses are engaged. Workshop participants will explore varying ways to tap into their senses and then how to translate them to memoir and/or poetry.
Class IV: Go for the Jugular
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Let’s get deep down, personal, and raw. Participants will dive deeper than the superficial layer of personal storytelling. We will write the things we are afraid of then marvel at the beauty of it. It is, after all, in these truths, that art is unleashed.
About the Instructor
Dara Kalima, also known as The Community Poet, resides in Bronx, NY. She explores love, equity, and healing through the lens of lived experiences and personal observations. Kalima has performed internationally and Off-Broadway and hosts the On Behalf Of podcast. Kalima facilitates workshops on a myriad of topics from Poetry 101 to specific written and performance techniques. She can often be found wandering through the streets of New York City, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells while seeking that spark that will inspire her next poem. Kalima has authored four books, including Casualty of Love (2017) and Still Laughin’ (2021). She has also had her words published by Great Weather For Media, Rigorous, The Amistad, African Voices Magazine and others. Connect with her at www.darakalima.com or on Instagram @DaraKalima.
There is special synergy between poetry and memoir writing. Many poets such as Lucille Clifton, Joy Harjo, Maya Angelou and many others end up writing their memoirs. In this four-part memoir writing workshop, participants will explore the relationship between poetry and memoir, how they can serve as access points into the other, and how both can use the same sources for creative expression.
Class I: Memoir as a Poetic Source
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Workshop participants will use the rules of Natalie Goldberg’s writing practice to write memoir pieces that will also provide us with source material for use in poetic forms.
Class II: Mining Memories
Thursday, February 20, 2025
In this workshop, partiipants will revisit childhood memories. Courtesy of children rhymes, we will mine our memories to springboard us into writing poems and memoir essays.
Class III: Dig Into the Details
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Memoir and poetry tend to work best when one’s senses are engaged. Workshop participants will explore varying ways to tap into their senses and then how to translate them to memoir and/or poetry.
Class IV: Go for the Jugular
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Let’s get deep down, personal, and raw. Participants will dive deeper than the superficial layer of personal storytelling. We will write the things we are afraid of then marvel at the beauty of it. It is, after all, in these truths, that art is unleashed.
About the Instructor
Dara Kalima, also known as The Community Poet, resides in Bronx, NY. She explores love, equity, and healing through the lens of lived experiences and personal observations. Kalima has performed internationally and Off-Broadway and hosts the On Behalf Of podcast. Kalima facilitates workshops on a myriad of topics from Poetry 101 to specific written and performance techniques. She can often be found wandering through the streets of New York City, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells while seeking that spark that will inspire her next poem. Kalima has authored four books, including Casualty of Love (2017) and Still Laughin’ (2021). She has also had her words published by Great Weather For Media, Rigorous, The Amistad, African Voices Magazine and others. Connect with her at www.darakalima.com or on Instagram @DaraKalima.
Schedule
Venue
Online
N/A
N/A, 00000
