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Following the Brush: A Weekend of Poetry, Creativity, and Community at ArtsXchange
- Theresa Davis
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
What a beautiful literary weekend leading into Mother’s Day. I want to thank all of the brave poets who came out and shared their hearts, stories, and creativity with us.
We kicked things off with an incredible open mic filled with music, poetry, and even a little comedy. The poetry slam brought great energy with five competitors battling through three powerful rounds of original work. Shariff took first place, Mike B. earned second, and Jarrod — who didn’t even realize there was a third-place prize — happily claimed third.
The open mic also featured music from Quinn Williams and Dyce the Kidd, along with poetry from Jacob Sullivan and Kyle Jones. Inspired by the atmosphere, Adam Porter stepped up to share comedy that kept the crowd laughing and added even more joy to the evening.
The Second Saturday Writing Workshop was equally amazing. I’m always looking for new ways to stretch creativity and discover poetry forms or styles I haven’t explored before. This month, I stumbled upon a Japanese writing form called Zuihitsu (“following the brush”). The form encourages writers to follow the movement of the mind as it wanders through memory, observation, contradiction, and sudden truth.
Associative writing takes some adjustment because it asks writers to let go of self-editing and trust where the thoughts lead. Participants embraced the challenge and were often surprised by what appeared on the page. One of my favorite things about these workshops is watching people leave with three or four potential poems, short stories, or new ideas to continue developing.
If you’re looking to spark your creativity, come write with us. ArtsXchange offers two writing workshops each month, and there is always room for new voices, new stories, and new discoveries.
Check out what’s coming up next in Literary Programming at ArtsXchange.
