Body Speak

Cost: $25/person

Description: This workshop is a reminder that we are embodied beings. Indeed, much of our art typically orbits around our experiences in our bodies as well as with other bodies, human and non. Initially through a brief guided meditation, participants will imagine themselves as a body part, then generate 'day in the life' writing or visual art from the perspective of that body part. In so doing, we will deepen our attention to detail, extend our sensory imagination, enrich our own artistic practice and ground in our embodiment. Wear comfy clothes. Bring a notebook or a sketch pad. 

Participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to share what they create on Friday, March 21, 5:30-7:30 in an open mic. Participants will be sharing the mic with the poets featured in Of Our Own Accord, an anthology of women's embodied experiences, in a tribute to Women's History Month. 

Good art and writing draw us into the experiences of another. But what if it jolts the reader or viewer out, making them feel othered instead? We will explore blind spots, stereotypes, and biases in popular media (and ourselves) that may alienate audiences. We will then explore techniques to create, instead, authentic inclusivity to draw and maintain a wider audience. Bring a sketchbook and/or notebook.

Born in Egypt, Mary Silwance lives in Kansas City and is a mother of three daughters. She works in adult education and facilities workshops on writing as well as ecology. Mary serves on the editorial teams of Whispering Prairie Press and Flying Ketchup Press. Through FKP,  she conceptualized and was editor of Of Our Own Accord, an anthology of women’s embodied experiences. Mary recently published her first full-length collection of poetry, We Remember Ourselves. You can find her publications, radio, and zoom presentations as well as workshop offerings at https://www.marysilwance.com. Mary’s work focuses on the intertwining of personal and collective emancipation to create a lush future for all beings.

During the first part of our workshop, we will utilize a speed dating format to generate robust material that captures your essence. We will then chisel the material generated from quirky interview questions and hilarious freewriting prompts into vivid, precise, and compelling artist bios and statements. Bring a sketchbook and/or notebook.

Born in Egypt, Mary Silwance lives in Kansas City and is a mother of three daughters. She works in adult education and facilities workshops on writing as well as ecology. Mary serves on the editorial teams of Whispering Prairie Press and Flying Ketchup Press. Through FKP,  she conceptualized and was editor of Of Our Own Accord, an anthology of women’s embodied experiences. Mary recently published her first full-length collection of poetry, We Remember Ourselves. You can find her publications, radio, and zoom presentations as well as workshop offerings at https://www.marysilwance.com. Mary’s work focuses on the intertwining of personal and collective emancipation to create a lush future for all beings. 

Where does identity come from? How can language eclipse or amplify who we are? We will playfully disassemble common markers of identity to reconstruct identity from our wildest dreams and highest hopes for ourselves. Bring a sketchbook and/or notebook.

Born in Egypt, Mary Silwance lives in Kansas City and is a mother of three daughters. She works in adult education and facilities workshops on writing as well as ecology. Mary serves on the editorial teams of Whispering Prairie Press and Flying Ketchup Press. Through FKP,  she conceptualized and was editor of Of Our Own Accord, an anthology of women’s embodied experiences. Mary recently published her first full-length collection of poetry, We Remember Ourselves. You can find her publications, radio, and zoom presentations as well as workshop offerings at https://www.marysilwance.com. Mary’s work focuses on the intertwining of personal and collective emancipation to create a lush future for all beings.