Are you concerned with the current events of the world? Do you want to criticize legislation? Support a social movement? Spotlight a forgotten moment in history? As an artform, poetry has a long history of political engagement. It is used to witness, process, comment, and critique; and has become a choice form of writerly intervention. This workshop will explore various forms of political poetry, from the comical to the critical. Come prepared to channel fire through your fingertips; and, if time permits, to share what you create. Please bring a news article, a snippet of legislation, or a piece of political writing you would like to intervene.
Ellen Chang-Richardson is an award-winning poet whose multi-genre writing has appeared in publications across Turtle Island, including Augur, The Ex-Puritan, Room, Watch Your Head, Canthius, and The Spirits Have Nothing to Do with Us: New Chinese Canadian Fiction (W&W, 2023). Born to Taiwanese and Chinese Cambodian parents, Ellen has lived in Oakville (Ontario), São Paulo (Brazil), Shanghai (China), and Tkaronto. They now reside in Ottawa on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Nation. Their debut collection is forthcoming in Spring 2024 with Buckrider Books (Wolsak & Wynn).