ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Richard “Byrd” Wilson has found community in poetry and the arts at every step of his journey. He has coached and participated in group slams since his years at FSU and later went on to compete in group slams in regional and national competitions. Now as member of a screenwriting team, performing as a part of a jazz band, and being a part of writer’s rooms for David Makes Man, Byrd is uniquely familiar with tools and skills needed for creative collaboration.
Byrd’s workshop will focus on how facilitators and educators can foster positive environments for writing and performing group poems, as well as how these skill can transfer to collaborating in various art forms such as screenwriting. The workshop will go over methods for writing group pieces, ways to spark group creativity and ideas, personality management and tools for group editing and critiquing.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Born in Lawton, Oklahoma and raised in Broward County, Florida, Richard “Byrd” Wilson is an award-winning poet, screenwriter and spoken word artist. Byrd found his voice through poetry, crediting the art form for steering his career decisions and expanding his world view.
Byrd’s love of writing and creating has taken many forms through the years, eventually leading him into screenwriting. Like poetry, screenwriting has allowed Byrd to captivate audiences as his poetic passion shines through his scripts. Since attending the Florida State University, where he competed in regional and collegiate poetry showcases, Byrd has performed at the National Poetry Slam, The Southern Fried Poetry Slam as well as featured in venues around the country. He also worked as a teaching artist for the Jason Taylor Foundation’s bluapple Poetry Network.
In 2018, Byrd along with his writing partner Lucian Christian Adderley, became a Staff Writer for an OWN Network series David Makes Man, a Miami-set drama created by Academy Award-winner Tarell McCraney and executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Michael B. Jordan. The duo is currently in their second season writing for the now Peabody Award-winning series. They also recently completed the feature-length screenplay for “The Highwaymen,” a true story about a group of African American artists in segregated 1960s Florida.
When not writing for cinema, music, or the stage, Byrd continues to mentor and workshop with poets on how to use their skill in various mediums.
ABOUT THE SERIES
The bluapple Poetry Network’s Educator’s Studio is a free series of workshops and discussions dedicated to providing teachers of writing and the arts with resources, concepts, and lesson plans that can be utilized in their classrooms, after school clubs, and other projects that inspire youth through poetry. Guest facilitators from Florida and across the country will guide participants through the monthly series.
WATCH THE FULL WORKSHOP VIDEO
DOWNLOAD WORKSHOP MATERIALS
• PDF – Powerpoint Presentation – N/A
