The Poet Speaks with Amanda Eke
June 22 @ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm CDT
$100
Saturday, June 22, 2024 10am-1pm CST, via Zoom
Instructor: Amanda Eke
Nonmember: $100; Member: $85; Student/Educator/Mil $75
*EARN CPE’S
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE.
Rhythm, dynamic words, dramatic flow–these are some of the core elements of spoken word poems. But what if you infuse this type of poetry with aspects of storytelling and other oral traditions? This cross-genre approach to writing and performance can open us up to a whole new art form.
The goal of this one-day workshop is to engage in a unique combination of personal story and poetry. We will start by learning about Nigerian and Igbo oral storytelling traditions of rhyme and verse. Then we’ll fuse this storytelling with the contemporary art of spoken word to create our own poems. Theater and choral reading techniques will also be covered to help students prepare poems for stage performance.
This course is open to writers of all skill levels, 18+.
By the end of the class students will have:
- New strategies for incorporating storytelling and other oral traditions into crafting spoken word pieces
- Experimentation with beats and rhymes
- 1 drafted spoken word poem
Amanda Eke is an award-winning Nigerian American Artist, Poet, Filmmaker, Educator and Scholar. A Fulbright and UN Award winner and author, she uses both her love for writing and music to address socio-political issues, and contemporary culture prevalent in society today. Amanda has lived and worked with young adults in Malta, Nepal, United States and Nigeria.
