CLOSE READINGS IN A VIRTUAL SPACE: with Evie Shockley-Free Online Poetry Workshop and Reading

Evie Shockley leads a group thinking-through of a poem by Jayne Cortez followed by a short reading of her own work.

his free, participatory event (taking place via Zoom) features Evie Shockley, one of our favorite poets, leading an intimate, virtual group thinking -and-reading-through of “Under the Edge of February” by Jayne Cortez. Neither explicitly teaching nor explaining, our special guest poet will serve as your expert tour-guide to explore this featured poem as a group.

Whether already well-versed in the “close reading” of poems or having never been quite sure you’ve been “getting it,” CLOSE READINGS IN A VIRTUAL SPACE provides a digital gathering for taking a refreshing deep dive into poetry.

Actively participate or simply listen and learn!

The event will last about an hour and conclude with a brief reading of poetry by our special guest poet.

Poet & literary scholar Evie Shockley thinks, creates, and writes with her eye on a Black feminist horizon. Her books of poetry include suddenly we, semiautomatic, and the new black. Her work has twice garnered the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, has been named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and has appeared internationally. Her honors include the Lannan Literary Award for Poetry, the Holmes National Poetry Prize, and the Stephen Henderson Award, and her joys include participating in poetry communities such as Cave Canem and collaborating with like-minded artists working in various media. Shockley is the Zora Neale Hurston Distinguished Professor of English at Rutgers University.

Toward opening new possibilities for discovery, thought, connection, and joy, The Flow Chart Foundation explores poetry and the interrelationships of various art forms as guided by the legacy of gay American poet John Ashbery, showcasing contemporary artists from a diversity of cultural, ethnic, gender-identified, age, ability, economic, and aesthetic viewpoints.