ONLINE: Creative Play

Spend part of your Sunday in creative play with community! This drop-in friendly series is an opportunity for non-poets and laureates alike to express and sense-make in these strange times. In-session and optional homework practices will include a wide range of poetic forms and writing prompts, including themes of justice, equity, diversity/decolonization, and inclusion (JEDI).

Award-winning poet and facilitator Joel B. Tan is based in Hawaii and invites you to celebrate the Makahiki (season of peace) this fall. Join us to create new rituals around creative expression, storytelling, and change-making.

“I’ve always feared poetry and found it inaccessible. Yet as Joel presents it, it’s a lot of fun to learn about poetry forms and attempt to write in them. He showed us the beauty and power that words can have. If you’ve always been curious about poetry or simply want to try something new, I highly recommended this class. It’s joy.” – Ruth Hernandez, past participant

Who is this program for?  

• Aspiring or experienced poets, non-poets and non-artists alike
• Anyone interested in learning about and practicing a variety of poetic forms
• Anyone who would like to cultivate a creative expression community
• Anyone interested in exploring themes of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion and beyond!

Program Highlights:  

• 8 90-minute sessions for creative expression, connection, sharing, and enjoyment
• Practice and play with poetic forms, including Haiku, Tanka, Pantoum, Ghazal, Sestina
• A supportive, curious and courageous community interested in sharing in creative expression
• At-home opportunities for practice and development between sessions
• Fun! Joel is beloved for the sense of humour and enthusiastic encouragement be brings to workshops

Series Format & Schedule: 

This 8-part series will take place on consecutive Sundays in October and November. Content will build on previous weeks, however, it will also be accessible and inviting to drop-in participants. Register for the series for consistent practice and regular community, or click on individual dates below to register for single sessions., 

• Sunday, October 3rd: 12-1:30pm HST / 3-4:30pm PT / 6-7:30 ET
• Sunday, October 10th: 12-1:30pm HST / 3-4:30pm PT / 6-7:30 ET
• Sunday, October 17th: 12-1:30pm HST / 3-4:30pm PT / 6-7:30 ET
• Sunday, October 24th: 12-1:30pm HST / 3-4:30pm PT / 6-7:30 ET
• Sunday, October 31st: 12-1:30pm HST / 3-4:30pm PT / 6-7:30 ET
• Sunday, November 7th: 12-1:30pm HST / 3-4:30pm PT / 6-7:30 ET
• Sunday, November 14th: 12-1:30pm HST / 3-4:30pm PT / 6-7:30 ET
• Sunday, November 21st: 12-1:30pm HST / 3-4:30pm PT / 6-7:30 ET

Pricing Options: 

Accessibility and inclusion are important to us. Together with the facilitator, we are able to offer tiered pricing on this program. Please select a tier that fits your budget and current context. 

Full Series:

• $190: Community-supported – made possible by our generous supporters  
• $240: Regular – standard tuition price  
• $290: Pay It Forward – helps support another participant to join at the community-supported rate 

Drop-in:

• $30 per session

We are able to offer a limited number of bursaries through the Community Diversity & Inclusion Fund. Applications must be received at least 7 days prior to the program start date.  Bursary Application Deadline: September 26th, 2021.  

Technical requirements:  

This online program will be hosted on Zoom, a video conferencing software that is free for participants and easy to use on a variety of devices. You will need to have a device (desktop computer or laptop recommended; tablet or smartphone can work too), reliable internet connection, and sound capabilities (headset recommended; built in or external microphone or speaker systems can work too). You can test your device connection and compatibility in advance here: zoom.us/test   

You will be invited to join the first session up to 15 minutes early to receive technical support.