2021 Massachusetts Poetry Festival

Event Recording:  A recording for this event is not available.

We believe that play interrogates world-building while being a key component of queer bonding and collaboration. Think of all the games that shaped our upbringings: board games, outdoor games, imagination games. And what are poems if not individual worlds that we construct? In this workshop, we will engage with these worlds through group forms of play. We will do a series of activities testing out our poems in unusual scenarios while supporting each other to share in ways that will bring laughter, joy, pain, and anger to the surface. We will explore how engaging in play collectively is also an essential aspect of companionship and friendship. We will be vulnerable with one another, with glimpses into each other's imaginations, then generate new work collaboratively using the models of play from the activities. This is open to all but will center LGBTQ individuals. Please bring 1-2 poems for the activities.