WAN Academy: Radical Honesty in Poetry w/ Jasmine Games – ,

OVERCOME WRITER’S BLOCK, BECOME A BETTER WRITER & HAVE FUN WITH WRITING AT THE WRITE ABOUT NOW ACADEMY (WANA)

WANA is a year long schedule of instructor-facilitated virtual writing classes.

Every month we are offering writing intensives facilitated by some of the most talented poets from all across the globe.

Each master class will focus on a different topic, but will leave you feeling empowered, enlightened, and elevated in your craft.

If you can’t make it at the scheduled time, register anyway! You will also have access to the recordings and workshop material just in case you miss a class or wish to revisit a class you attended.

THIS MONTH’S WORKSHOP: Radical Honesty in Poetry thru the Hermit Crab Essay

Dive into the transformative power of radical honesty in your poetry by exploring the Hermit Crab Essay form. This workshop guides poets in using unconventional structures—such as lists, recipes, or letters—to reveal deeper truths and vulnerabilities in their work. By stepping outside traditional forms, participants will learn to address challenging topics with authenticity and creativity. Perfect for poets seeking to push their boundaries and connect with their audience on a more profound level, this workshop encourages fearless expression and innovation in poetic storytelling.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: Jasmine Games

Jasmine Games is a Black and queer spoken word poet and theatre practitioner based in Austin, TX. As a theatre maker, they use drama-based pedagogy, creative writing, and devised performance to explore social (in)justices with participants of all ages, both in-person and online. They serve as the Director of Education and Social Justice Activation at The VORTEX and are a passionate slam poet. Their first full-length poetry collection, Somebody’s Daughter, is available online.

Jasmine produces, directs, and co-facilitates Courageous Cadence, a spoken word action-residency for high school youth, culminating in a final performance addressing race and gender (in)justices. Their other programming includes a Social Justice Activation professional training series on race, gender, and disability, along with creative writing workshops in poetry and playwriting.

Jasmine is the winner of the 2021 Sexton Prize for Poetry, awarded by The Black Spring Press Group, and the 2021 Winifred Ward Scholar, awarded by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. They also co-won the 2020 Texas Education Theatre Association’s Founders’ Scholarship for Graduate Theatre Students. They have been a Provost fellow and a poet in residence at the Black Box Writer Residency twice, where they published Double Dutch and earlier versions of Views from Wash Day and Winter Funeral, originally titled “Over” and “Dead of Winter.”

Jasmine holds a BA in English and Performance Studies from Texas A&M University (2018) and an MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin (2022). They are fiercely committed to justice for marginalized communities, especially youth of color.

HOW TO ATTEND

A Single Class Pass provides access to an individual class as well as its recording. All classes are free to active, paid monthly Write About Now Members on Facebook, Square or PayPal. For more info on how to become a member, visit www.wanpoetry.com.