Listening to Our Elders: Stories and Objects

Raina J. León, Philadelphia's poet laureate, leads a workshop called Listening to Our Elders: Stories and Objects at CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia on Sunday, October 25. The session runs from 1 PM to 4 PM, and you're encouraged to bring stories and objects from your elders—and the elders themselves, if they'd like to join in. The whole thing is built on the idea that hearing the same story twice is meant to yield something different: you take the narratives you've heard over and over and learn how to write from them.

León isn't the only one in the room. Oral historian and archivist L. Renée joins as a guest speaker, sharing strategies for eliciting new details from elders. León models the practice by showing family photographs and interviews with her own parents, Dr. Norma Thomas and her father, both of whom also participate as guest speakers. Between the two of them, you get a look at how to pull a story apart and put it back together as a poem.

The workshop is presented by Blue Stoop, a fiscally sponsored organization of CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia, in partnership with the Academy of American Poets. It's part of their mission to nurture an inclusive literary community and celebrate the city's writing tradition. ASL interpretation is provided by the Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre.

It's free for general admission, in person at CultureWorks, 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300, from 1 PM to 4 PM on Sunday, October 25.