AND YOUR VERY FLESH SHALL BE A GREAT POEM! (thanks,
Whitman) is a workshop that combines printmaking and poem-making. Our materials? A screen, a squeegee,
our ordinary language, paper, scissors, and a bunch of strangers before and after. We'll gather words from our
surroundings and daily lives, use these to make stencils, and then collaborate to screenprint poems that
can be installed (ahem) in public places. Some prints will travel on to other workshops to be
layered with others' language.
The workshop runs for 3-5 hours and includes a talk about concrete poetry
and the work of artist Corita Kent, whose screenprints inspire this process.
(I can either use a projector or bring handouts for the talk, depending on your setup.)
This workshop is suited for university students and professionals in art, literature, library studies,
public engagement, arts administration, or any field that relies on collaboration, curiosity, creative thinking,
and play — but is excellent for, and
designed for, non-specialists: readers, workers, livers of everyday life.
It's for adults, but could be run for accompanied teens. It requires, minimally, an indoor space,
access to water, tables, and chairs.
If this sounds interesting, just drop me a line and I will
send you information about the teaching artist fee and supply list.
About me: I hold an MFA in poetry with a graduate minor in Studio Art (printmaking and book arts)
from the University of Minnesota (US) as well as a Certificate in Art & Ecology from the National
College of Art & Design, Ireland. I have been making prints since 2004 and have shown work in the
UK, US, and elsewhere. I've taught etching and chine collée at the Leicester Print Workshop,
and given variations on A GREAT POEM at the National College of Art & Design (as part of Text/Textile, 2024)
and in the School of English, Drama and Film at University College Dublin as part of a project funded
by an internal grant from University College Dublin's Research Culture Initiative. I am currently an
Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at University College Dublin (Ireland).
Milkweed Editions (US) published my
first three collections. A fourth is forthcoming in May 2025 from
Carcanet Press
(UK), and Milkweed will publish my fifth collection in September 2026.