Capturing Fire & Split This Rock present Paul Tran's "Optical Illusion: The Image as a Poetic Force" Workshop

Capturing Fire, The International Queer Spoken Word & Poetry Slam takes place June 5, 6 & 7, 2015 at The Dc Center and Busboys & Poets. This workshop is sponsored by Split This Rock and Poets & Writers. Please email inquiries to capturingfiretheslam@gmail.com. "Optical Illusion: The Image as a Poetic Force" led by Paul Tran REGISTER FOR WORKSHOP HERE: http://ow.ly/MVaZ5 This generative writing workshop examines "the image" as a rigorous poetic force. Too often we surrender to cliches, platitudes, or language that thinks too little or too much for us, and we forget writing precisely and with vivid emotional specificity is, almost always, the most compelling. Using examples from womyn of color poets Natalie Diaz and Cathy Linh Che, participants will discuss an image's ability to push a story, feeling, or idea forward. We will investigate what is "seen" and "unseen" in an image, what's "inside" and "outside," who or what is looking at and being looked upon, and what is hiding in plain sight. Lastly, we will draw inspiration from "the selfie" to write and share original work. Please come prepared to talk, get dirty, and have fun. Paul Tran is a Vietnamese American historian and spoken word poet. He won "Best Poet" and "Pushing the Art Forward" at the national college poetry slam, as well as awards and fellowships from Kundiman, Poets House, Lambda Literary, VONA, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. His work can be found in CURA: A Literary Magazine for Art & Action, Nepantla: A Journal for Queer Poets of Color, cream city review, and RHINO, which selected him for the 2015 Editor's Prize. Since 2013, Paul has taught the Untitlement Project at New Urban Arts in Providence, Rhode Island, and coached the Brown University, Barnard College & Columbia University, and Providence youth slam teams. He currently lives in New York City, where he's writing his first book and working at New York University. Workshop is $10.00 (registration thru Split this Rock) or free with a Capturing Fire $50.00 pass or $75.00 Slam Registration. REGISTER FOR WORKSHOP HERE: http://ow.ly/MVaZ5 For questions or If registration page inaccessible to you, contact Split This Rock at info@splitthisrock.org or 202-787-5210. FULL CAPTURING FIRE 2015 SCHEDULE & REGISTRATION INFO HERE: http://www.thedccenter.org/capturingfire/schedule.html