With poet Jasmine Gonzalez!
Are there emotions that you have a fear of facing? If we don’t acknowledge our emotions, we run the risk of letting them devour us whole. Through poetry and all writing, we can use our words to hold a mirror up to the positive and negative sentiments that reside within our bodies and potentially take a step towards healing. With the help of work by Amiri Baraka, Sandra María Esteves, and Audre Lorde, we will experiment different ways of engaging with our feelings no matter what they may be. There will be small check-ins throughout the workshop because emotions can indeed be heavy and I want to ensure that all attendees feel safe and comfortable within the space!
About the Instructor: Jasmine Gonzalez is a New York City based poet. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with Highest Honors in English Literature from Lehman College. While attending Lehman, she discovered that writing poetry is how she reclaims the power over the aspects of her mental health that can spin out of control. Her work has been published in Obscura Literary Magazine, La Libreta Online Journal, Spanglish Voces Literary Platform, The Broken Teacup Online Journal, and for The WILDsound Writing Festival. Moreover, Jasmine has performed for crowds at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, off-Broadway at the Triad Theatre, Mictastic! at East Village’s Parkside Lounge, and all over the five boroughs of New York City. She has also been featured on the podcast Uncorking Your Story and on BronxNetTV on Open Friday with Rhina Valentin in the Artists Spotlight Segment. Her debut poetry book, Petals of the Red Dahlia, was published in October 2023.
Currently, she works as a Programs and Operations Assistant for the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, where she is following her passion of providing a space for artists like herself to be themselves unapologetically. In the future, she hopes to publish more of her own writing to further help the agenda of giving voices to marginalized writers, especially those who struggle with mental health.
* *This workshop will take place on Zoom.**
