Events for August 10, 2026

Many of New York CIty’s waterways were buried as the land became more industrialized and urbanized. Toni Morrison wrote “All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was.” In this session, participants will read eco-poems written by lucille clifton, June Jordan, and Rajiv Mohair to study the ways water shows up in their words. We will reflect on our relationship to the bodies of water that are important to us and write poems inspired by our water memories.

In this studio, participants will critically analyze pacing and tone in a spoken word, written, and sung poem. They will then branch their own piece from the ones they analyze in session or others they find. They will consider the author’s background, cultural storytelling, and intermixing of languages while highlight the use of emphasis, phrasing, and rhythm as tools to relay their voices.