ABOUT THE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP
“Praise Song for the Body”
Come to read and write poems that help loosen the chains of shame. This space will be for declaring new and glorious names for body-mind experiences that are often deemed “not enough.” We will write as an act of manifestation pushing back against the damage of this false cultural message, against pressures to conform in ways that ultimately harm us. This is not a call to toxic positivity but to investigate how we speak to ourselves about ourselves. This is an invitation to consider, honor, and declare what we gain through body-mind differences and the music of our true pace, capacity, and rhythm.
Participants will be invited to review several poems as examples, write from generative prompts, and volunteer to share freshly written poems or lines.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Camisha L. Jones (she/her) is the author of “Flare” and coeditor of “Every Place on the Map is Disabled: Poems and Essays” (Northwestern University Press, 2026), with Travis Chi Wing Lau, Naomi Ortiz, and Michael Northen. Her poems are published on Poets.org, The Deaf Poets Society, The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database at Split this Rock, Typo, Button Poetry, and elsewhere.
With over thirty years’ experience at nonprofits and universities, she has provided leadership, organized gatherings, and cultivated access-centered practices for arts organizations such as Split this Rock, Kinetic Light’s LAB, and Zoeglossia. Jones is a 2022 Disability Futures Fellow and a Loft Literary Center 2017 Spoken Word Immersion Fellow.
ACCESSIBILITY
Accessibility is a core value for Split this Rock. We strive to provide programs, materials, and communications that allow people within the disability community to engage fully. CART service (live captions) will be provided. Written versions of poem prompts and poems used for discussion will be provided via screen share, the chat, or links.
Let us know of any accessibility questions or accommodation requests via the workshop registration form or by emailing [email protected] with “ACCESS REQUEST” in the subject line by Tuesday, February 9. Given our ongoing funding challenges, we cannot promise accessibility services, but will do our best to provide accommodations.
ABOUT SPLIT THIS ROCK
Split this Rock is the only national organization with a mission to integrate poetry and social justice. We materially support poets who are often excluded and underrepresented in the literary landscape, particularly those who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled or chronically ill, and/or working class. With strong commitments to racial, gender, economic, and disability justice, we work to expand the horizons of inclusion and assert the transformative power of language to bear witness to injustice and provoke social change. We believe poetry acts as an agent for change by revealing the diversity and complexity of human experience, reflecting on daily lives and struggles, considering personal and social responsibility, and envisioning a better world. Learn more: splitthisrock.org.