Let's Talk TLA! Poetics of Witness: The Ethics of the Writer in Community and on the Page // with Caits Meissner

Let’s Talk TLA! A FREE Online Salon & Poetry Open Mic

7pm CENTRAL, 8pm EASTERN

Moderated by Kelly DuMar, with Guest Poet, Artist, and Teacher, Caits Meissner

We hope you’ll join us for our next bi-monthly video-conference featuring poet, artist, and teacher, Caits Meissner, when we’ll explore her ideas about writing poetry and she will read from her new book.

How does one decide it's okay to write beyond these margins? What questions must the author consider in the act of witnessing? How do we write about our lives, which are entangled with the lives of others, in ways that are fair, loving, and ethical?

Caits Meissner's new hybrid poetry book, Let It Die Hungry, uses poetry, prosaic notes, illustrations, and extensive writing prompts to grapple with questions of identity, crossing cultural lines, teaching in public school, a needle exchange, and prison.

Poet John Murrillo calls her "a clear eyed witness with an intense lyric sensibility, her poems illuminate the shadows of self and society that lie outside the margins of acceptable discourse."

Caits is the author of the hybrid poetry book, Let It Die Hungry, and The Letter All Your Friends Have Written You, co-written with poet Tishon Woolcock. Her work has won awards and is published or forthcoming in many journals and anthologies including The Literary Review, Narrative, The Offing, Adroit, and Drunken Boat. Multidisciplinary by nature, Caits experiments with writing's relationship to illustrations and sound. In 2010, her album, the wolf & me, was released to accolades on platforms such as Okayplayer. "Fresh, honest and loving," Erykah Badu called Caits' blend of poetry and music, naming her, "a delicate heart like mine." With a long history in community arts, Caits currently teaches in prison, public school, City College, and The New School University. You can help Caits bring free creative writing workshops and collaborative readings to incarcerated writers! Learn more:  tinyurl.com/prisonpoetry or go to www.caitsmeissner.com

Format of the Conference

• Kelly will interview Caits on the call for 30 minutes - we’ll then have 10-15 minutes to ask questions & discuss TLA, your own practice, goals, or vision.
• We’ll devote the next 15 or so minutes to the open mic poetry readings – bring an original poem to share!
• You don’t need to be a member of TLAN or registered for a class to participate!

This meeting is free and open to the public. You will receive call-in information in your email inbox once you RSVP.

Poetry Open Mic

Please, join us for this unique discussion and networking opportunity followed by a Poetry Open Mic. Everyone who participates in the teleconference is welcome to share an original poem. Whether you’re reading your poetry aloud for the first time, or you’re a seasoned reader, this is a chance to share your writing in the supportive presence of appreciative listeners. It’s a remarkably fun and moving experience.

About Kelly DuMar

Kelly DuMar is a poet, playwright, and expressive arts workshop facilitator whose chapbook “All These Cures,” won the 2014 Lit House Press poetry contest. Kelly’s poems have been published in many literary journals, and her award winning plays have been produced around the US and published by dramatic publishers. She produces the Our Voices Festival of Women Playwrights & Poets, held at Wellesley College, now in its 9^th year. Kelly has a Master’s Degree in Education from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Her certification in psychodrama and training in Playback Theatre inspire her workshops with transformative energy. Kelly has presented professional workshops at Mass. Poetry Festival, The Boston Book Festival, Playback North America, The New England Theatre Conference, the Transformative Language Arts Conference, ASGPP, The National Association for Poetry Therapy, and The International Women’s Writing Guild. She is a Fellow in the American Society for Group Psychotherapy & Psychodrama, a member of the Advisory Council of The International Women’s Writing Guild, and a Council Member of the Transformative Language Arts Network. Her website it kellydumar.com, and she publishes a bi-monthly essay about the writing life to her subscribers.