for Black girls–and their allies–who have considered not writing / when they are enuf: Finding Your Magic – Fall 2024

ADULTS, AGES 15 & UP: Your stories (or poems) need you–the only you that you can be, exactly as you are right now. After “somebody almost walked off wid all [her] stuff,” Juanita from Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem for colored girls… snatches that stuff back, reclaiming her “arm with the hot iron scar,” “calloused feet,” “quick language.” She declares, “I gotta have me in my pocket to get round like a good woman should.” And I’m telling you, you gotta have you–flaws and all–in your pocket to get round like a good writer should. In this workshop for ages 15 and up, we’ll explore various parts of the self and uncover some of the stuff that makes you unique and will make your writing distinct.

Kristen Gentry is the author of Mama Said, longlisted for the 2024 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection. She received her M.F.A. from Indiana University. Her award-winning fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and appeared in Electric Literature, Crab Orchard Review, and other journals. She is a VONA and Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference alumna, former Director of Creative Writing at SUNY Geneseo, and a member of the inaugural Poets & Writers publicity incubator for debut writers. She lives and writes in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

The Carnegie Center reserves the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollment is not met. It is best to register early to help our instructors prepare and to ensure the class does not get cancelled. We evaluate registration numbers 6–2 business days before a class starts to decide whether we can hold the class. Classes that do not meet minimum enrollment will be cancelled six–two business days prior to the first class meeting. All participants will be notified by email and will receive full refunds.