What is poetry’s relationship with the visual world? Where are there opportunities for images and language to complement one another? Cultivating a spirit of playful experimentation, this workshop will explore the intersection of language, image, and identity through freeform collage.

Donté Clark’s spoken-word performance will be our departure point for embarking on a visual translation of his poetry. Participants are invited to create a collage guided by a stanza of the poem.  The collages will be assembled into a larger mosaic, weaving together the visual narratives that emerge. The workshop will conclude with a brief reflection and discussion.

Donté Clark is a poet, emcee, playwright, director, educator, and activist from Richmond, California. As Richmond Poet Laureate from 2014 to 2016, he served as a fierce advocate for the residents of his city,  representing Richmond on a national platform. As a founding member and producer of the RAW Talent Productions Music and Performing Arts Program, Clark teaches poetry and theater workshops to low-income youths in his community, coaching his students to find their voices through performance and publication. His primary focus is ending the violence that has plagued his community and impacted him deeply—he uses his art and curriculum as a call to action.

Amy Bergstein is a filmmaker and teaching artist from San Francisco.  She works as a mentor and video instructor with teens and young adults at the Bay Area Video Coalition.