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Inspiration & Obstacles: How Poets Learn with Ruelaine Stokes
A seed is planted. If the seed finds fertile ground, nourishment, and time to grow, it can start to take shape as a poem. The poet’s job is to keep breathing warmth into the seed until it starts to grow on its own. Ruelaine will read poems that have grown from such seeds and tell the stories of how they grew into poems.
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Tapping the Deep Mind with Ruelaine Stokes
Join us and Ruelaine Stokes, current Lansing Poet Laureate. This workshop will provide writing activities that tap into key moments in your life that made deep impressions on your mind, and prompt you to recall details to give flesh to a poem. We will use both narrative and associative thinking to bring poems to life.
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Switchback: Poems of Strength & Witness
Join us for a poetry reading by George Ella Lyon, former Poet Laureate of Kentucky.
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Standing in Your Story
Join us for an online writing workshop with George Ella Lyon, former Poet Laureate of Kentucky.
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Dispatch From the Mountain State and Other Poems with Marc Harshman
Join us for a poetry reading by Marc Harshman, followed by a discussion with him about his work as a poet, author of fourteen children’s books, and as the Poet Laureate of West Virginia.
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Mapping the Landscape: Detail and Recollection with Marc Harshman
Join us for a workshop by Marc Harshman, Poet Laureate of West Virginia. Marc will bring prose to writers of poetry.
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Writing as a Tool in Finding Healing/Writing Pain, Trauma Workshop with Dr. Patricia Jabbeh Wesley
How do we navigate painful times in our lives? As one who has experienced all kinds of tragedies, trauma, including war, cancer, the sudden loss of her mother, siblings, relatives, due to the Liberian civil war I survived, Dr. Jabbeh Wesley has used writing for more than thirty years as a tool in finding healing not only from her own painful experiences of everyday living, but also from the trauma of political upheavals, war, flight, the loss of home and identity as refugee, erasure, and much more. In this workshop, you will step into your own pain, especially in these historical times of national or global trauma and sudden life changes. This workshop is an empowering experience of finding healing through your own words.
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Poetry Book Club: Nod to the Ode
Join us in MARCH for poetry book club. This month we are reading Ode poetry. For the first half we will read and listen to some examples of Ode poetry and then you will have time to write your own Ode.
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Obsessions: What Fuels Your Writing Life? with Joan Logghe
Join us for an online workshop led by Joan Logghe, Poet Laureate of Santa Fe 2010-2012. Together we will explore with brief or life-long focus. Leonard Cohen says, "Waltz me to the end of Love." I say, "write me to the end of Mind." We will generate topics and follow into your Surprise Mind.
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Reading from the Front Burner with Joan Logghe
Join us for a reading from Joan Logghe, Poet Laureate of Santa Fe 2010-2012. She will talk about her experiences and read from pieces she wrote while serving as Poet Laureate.
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Finding Poetry, Finding Healing During a Time of Chaos & Pain with Dr. Patricia Jabbeh Wesley
Join us for a poetry reading by Dr. Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, followed by a discussion with her about her work as poet, as a creative writing professor, and as the First Inaugural Poet for the inauguration of the 26th President of Liberia.
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Poetry Out Loud
Join us to enjoy an afternoon of poetry at the first Poetry Out Loud recitation contest in Saginaw, Michigan.
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Writing Toward Joy, Dispelling the Dark - Workshop Series with Anita Skeen
In this workshop series, we will read and talk about work where poets attempt to dispel the darkness and write our own poems, attempting the same. During the four weeks of the workshop we will discover other poems which find joy in both expected and unexpected places, writing and sharing our own such poems.
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Roethke Holiday Party
Stop by the Roethke House on Sunday, December 8 from 2-5 for our holiday gathering. Enjoy mulled cider, cookies, and more.
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Roethke at Hollyday Art Mart
Swing by the Roethke table at the Hollyday Art Mart and say hello to our founder and board member, Annie Ransford. She will be selling copies of Mr. Dog's Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn for $20 each as a fundraiser for the Friends of Roethke Foundation. (Or buy a copy of the book right here! Shipping is free.)
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Spell for the Journey, Final in person meeting
In this workshop series, we will write text-based poems and create “maps” that can help us navigate difficult journeys, provide companionship for those journeys, and help heal trauma. Series includes two in-person meetings, one online meeting, and open studio time at the Roethke and Stone Houses. Free, registration required.
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Spell for the Journey, Online meeting
In this workshop series, we will write text-based poems and create “maps” that can help us navigate difficult journeys, provide companionship for those journeys, and help heal trauma. Series includes two in-person meetings, one online meeting, and open studio time at the Roethke and Stone Houses. Free, registration required.
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Memory Poetry Makerspace, part II
In this two-part workshop, Jared Morningstar will lead us to write about a personal memory that revolves around an important moment in our life. We will then create handmade paper that embodies this memory and onto which we add our original writing.
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Spoken Word Workshop
Join Floet and Keairra for discussion, writing time, and sharing. This event is free and open to all experience levels. Registration is not required. Light dinner is included, and everyone will receive a complementary Roethke tote or hardcover blank journal.
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Spell for the Journey, a workshop series with Anita Skeen
In this workshop series, we will write text-based poems and create “maps” that can help us navigate difficult journeys, provide companionship for those journeys, and help heal trauma. Series includes two in-person meetings, one online meeting, and open studio time at the Roethke and Stone Houses. Free, registration required.
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Memory Poetry Makerspace with Jared Morningstar
In this two-part workshop, Jared Morningstar will lead us to write about a personal memory that revolves around an important moment in our life. We will then create handmade paper that embodies this memory and onto which we add our original writing.
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Spoken Word Workshop
Join Floet and Keairra for discussion, writing time, and sharing. This event is free and open to all experience levels. Registration is not required. Light dinner is included, and everyone will receive a complementary Roethke tote or hardcover blank journal.
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Grateful Pasta benefitting Friends of Roethke
5-8pm
989-401-6019 for seating and for takeout.
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Open Mic with Floet
Please join us for a community open mic hosted by Floet. Everyone is invited to participate and perform/read their original work, or just come to support our community of local writers. All performers will receive a complementary Roethke totebag or hardcover blank journal.
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Self-Portrait Workshop
Join us this weekend and begin building your visual autobiography. Discover what constitutes a ‘self-portrait,’ and how to express your authentic self through art. We will experiment with materials and process, transforming emotion, memory and experience into art to demonstrate ‘self-portrait’ from multiple perceptions.
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Verses and Conversing - Edgar Allen Poe
Are you scared of poetry? Then you should join us for poetry book club! Each month we pick a poet, read a few poems, and casually discuss. For October we will read and discuss the macabre poetry of Edgar Allen Poe.
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Carlos Ramet Book Reading and Signing
Carlos Ramet will read from his just-launched novel "The Quiet Limit of the World" and be available for a book-signing and Q&A.
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Generative Storytelling Workshop and Reading with RS Deeren
A generative storytelling workshop and reading with RS Deeren, author of Enough to Lose.
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Oct/POEM/ber
Throughout the month of October, willing participants will write one poem per day for 31 days, with an option to use a writing prompt as a guide.
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Open House 2024: Open Mic
Join us for our 4th Annual Open Mic at this year’s Open House.
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2024 Open House
Please visit us for our annual Open House, free and open to the public. The event will include tours of the historic home, writing workshops, and an evening event. More details coming soon!
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Verses and Conversing - Taylor Swift
Joins this book club for poetry enthusiast where we explore the work of one poet each month. For June, will explore the theme of pop music and poetry.
Click for more details and to register.
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Online Poetry Workshop with Poet Donny Winter
Join us for this generative poetry writing workshop with Donny online via Zoom.
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Casting Seeds: An Evening of Poetry & Conversation with Donny Winter
Join us for a poetry reading and discussion with Donny Winter.
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Poetry Workshop: My Hometown
Jared Morningstar will host this generative workshop that will take a deeper look at hometowns over time.
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Collecting Theodore Roethke: The Poet’s Biography in 10 Rare Books
In this hands-on, audience-participation presentation, Mike Kolleth uses historic artifacts and bibliographic materials to tell the story of Roethke’s life and discuss the impact of his work on generations of artists.
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Verses and Conversing - Pablo Neruda
Joins this book club for poetry enthusiast where we explore the work of one poet each month. For July, we will dive into the poetry of Pablo Neruda.
Click for more details and to register.
Events Archive
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2020-2023