Emily Dickinson wrote, “I dwell in Possibility— / A fairer House than prose—” (FR466). This workshop will invite young writers to have encounters with their own experiences, visions, and beliefs.  As they move through these encounters, they will be invited to open to possibilities—like curious hands, learning a dark room through touch. How wonderful to happen onto a structure that could be a leg of a chair, a table, a lamp, or something totally unimagined… and not to know. How does our sense of possibility shift over time, as we come to understand what it is we touch?

Over the course of 11 weeks, participants will explore poetry through writing and reading, in peer led writers’ workshops, and with experimentation between forms (sound/music, visual art, movement). Writing will be focused on both generation and revision. A few of the poets we will be reading are Dickinson, Joy Harjo, Molly Peacock, AE Stallings, and Jean Valentine. On the last day of the session, the group will host a Poet's Open Mic Café, where family members and loved ones will be invited to listen to the poets read their work. 

Chelsea Perry is a writer, dancer, and educator based in Northampton. In a recent position as a Montessori specialist, they designed and taught cross-disciplinary poetry/dance curriculum to grades 1-6. Chelsea's poetry concentrates on archetypes and the body. Her teaching moves between the page, physicality, and images. She will often have students on their feet, exploring how language sounds, feels, and moves with the body. Chelsea is a graduate of Hampshire College.

To register, please email programs@nohoarts.org directly or by clicking the button below, and include your name, address, and phone number.

Payment can be made by mailing a check made out to NCFA to PO Box 366, Northampton, MA 01061 or by Paypal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Pay Later or Credit Card by clicking the link below.

*Payments on the upper end of the sliding scale help support our continued commitment to accessibility, including sliding scale models and the NCFA Community Fund.