bluapple Poetry Summer Writing Workshops
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As a student in high school, I wish I’d had the chance to hone my poetry writing during the summer alongside students my age who had lived the same experiences as I did and who used poetry as a creative outlet. I wish there had been workshops dedicated to things I wanted to work on. The importance of summer programming cannot be overstated. Some kids really do look forward to ways they can expand their creative flow because often times school doesn’t cut it. I think, as a high schooler, school focused on me as an academic and not as a creative person with my own needs and wants. I felt like a number most days. School is important for many reasons, but I think summer programs that invite students to create and let loose are equally as important. Summer programming like poetry workshops would have helped me out of my writers’ block. It would have given me the opportunity to really dive into creating and being around people my age that share the same hobbies as me. I did spend my summers reading and writing, sure, but it would have been much more fun if I’d had what bluapple is offering this summer.
Which—finally, it’s summer! I know all of our bluapple students have been working hard and cannot wait to jump into summer fun. Maybe that looks like jumping in the pool or going to the beach for you—but! If summer fun looks like flexing your writing skills, boy, does bluapple have a treat for you! Bluapple is back at it again with summer workshops you won’t want to miss! Join us Tuesdays and Wednesdays through the summer for Mic Check, all new The Lab workshops, and bluapple Poetry’s Life Skills Survival Guide.
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I think, at it’s core, bluapple is giving us a community of like-minded people. Of poets and writers and thinkers. If you want to find your people, come check out workshops like Mic Check! Not everyone can check a mic—it takes a real MC. Do you think you have what it takes? Even if you don’t think so, come experience us break down hip-hop through heartwarming workshops tailored to you. It’s all about becoming an authentic “MC”. There will be music, videos, prompts to incorporate writing techniques, and tips to enhance your stage presence.
If that’s not for you we are also offering bluapple Poetry’s Life Skills Survival Guide—where you learn life management skills through poetry prompts, exercises, and discussions. This series will focus on getting you together through a creative outlet in a thought-provoking way. And if neither of those seem quite your cup of tea—there’s always The Lab! Our general writing workshop that has been around for four years now, it is bound to be amazing! We will be having guest facilitators throughout the series, promoting different styles of workshops and different styles of writing.
Even if you think none of these sound like they’re for you—come give it a try, anyway! You just might like what you participate in!
For more on the Jason Taylor Foundation’s summer writing workshops or if you have any questions, please email us at info@jasontaylorfoundation.com, visit the organization’s website at www.JasonTaylorFoundation.org, or follow on social media sites including Facebook or Twitter and Instagram: @jtfoundation99 & @bluapplepoetry.
About Gaby Martinez
Gaby Martinez is a young spoken word poet based in Miami. They enjoy writing, being surrounded by their friends, and listening to other poets tell their stories. Their own poetry is an expression of self, most of it being tied to some facet of their identity or experience they have lived through. For them, poetry is the one thing that gives them an outlet and a space to grieve, release, and heal.
