Merging Advocacy & The Arts

Slam poetry was originally created as a form of protest. How is that different from how we treat slam poetry today? In this workshop, poets will learn the importance of using their voice (and their poetry) to highlight the struggles of marginalized communities, bring light to current political issues, and to bring awareness to some of those topics that “we’re taught not to talk about at the dinner table.” We will review various poets’ work who have used their poetic platforms for advocacy, and poets will have their own opportunity to write a poem advocating for something they believe in, using guiding prompts and coaching from the instructor.

About the instructor: Brooke or B the Poet (she/they) is a queer spoken word poet currently residing in Denver, CO. They started their poetry career in the slam scene in 2019, and since then, has had the opportunity to perform and compete in various cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Baltimore and Las Vegas. They have been able to use their passion for merging advocacy and the arts by being a guest speaker at human rights rallies, and abortion rights fundraisers. Brooke has worked with students at multiple high schools and colleges, as well as taught workshops both in written and performative poetry. Brooke is a six time published poet, with their first full-length collection, Skydiving Without a Parachute and Other Success Stories, that made its debut in September 2024, and their work appears in five other anthologies. When Brooke is not on a stage, you can probably find them in the mountains with a dead car battery and their puppy, Myka, just hoping everything works itself out.