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Northeastern A&M College in conjunction with the Miami Arts and Humanities Council and Chapters Bookstore are hosting a creative writing workshop and poetry slam Monday, April 20. The workshop will be in the Student Union Calcagno Family Ballroom at NEO from 4-6 p.m., and the poetry slam will take place in Commons Auditorium at NEO at 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. Those interested in participating in either event should register online at http://tinyurl.com/l3raxf2. “The Miami Arts and Humanities Council is pleased to partner with NEO A&M and Chapters to host this world class poet in Miami,” said Ann Neal of the Miami Arts and Humanities Council. “He brings poetry alive for everyone and demonstrates its emotional and narrative power to all. We believe this is a great opportunity to share National Poetry month with the community.”
Oklahoma poet laureate, Nathan Brown, will facilitate the hands-on creative writing workshop and provide an opening presentation to kick-off the poetry slam. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring paper, writing utensils and/or a tablet. Those interested in the poetry slam can sign up to participate and read a poem by a published author or an original work. Performances should be limited to five minutes but can include more than one poem. The general public is invited to attend.
Brown is a singer-songwriter, photographer and award-winning poet who was recently appointed the Poet Laureate of Oklahoma for 2013/2014. His mission is to take back poetry from the hard grip of the ivory tower and those who often use poetry for personal therapy. Brown has published nine books. Less Is More, More or Less (Mezcalita Press, 2013);Karma Crisis: New and Selected Poems (Mezcalita Press); Letters to the One-Armed Poet, his first memoir; and a previous collection of poetry, Two Tables Over, won the 2009 Oklahoma Book Award. The others are: My Sideways Heart, Not Exactly Job (a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award); Ashes over the Southwest; Suffer the Little Voices (a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award); and Hobson’s Choice. He has also worked as a professional songwriter and musician for decades in and around Oklahoma City, Nashville and Austin. He has even performed in Israel and Russia.
Brown has an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in creative and professional writing from the University of Oklahoma. He currently teaches History of the Arts and Humanities courses for the Liberal Studies Department at the University of Oklahoma, as well as Introduction to Songwriting for Austin Community College, and he has served as the Artist in Residence at the University of Central Oklahoma. Please direct questions to chaptersmiami@yahoo.com.
