Poetry’s Musical Bloodline: A Master Class with Tyehimba Jess

Poetry’s Musical Bloodline: A Sociohistorical Soundtrack is a master class exploring the historic connections between music and poetry, with particular interest in music of the African diaspora. Participants will plumb insights into creating poems that address the history, culture, characters, geographies and politics of music across generations and across the world. We will read poems from selected authors, provide a forum for deep listening to selected tunes, and create assignments that prompt new and dynamic explorations that bring the energy of music into our poems.

Space is limited to 16 participants. The cost of the master class is $10. To register visit Cave Canem’s Eventbrite Box Office.

Tyehimba Jess‘s most recent book, Olio (Wave Books, 2016), won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, The Midland Society Author’s Award in Poetry, and received an Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. His first collection, Leadbelly (Wave Books, 2005), won the 2004 National Poetry Series, and was named one of the “Best Poetry Book of 2005” by the Library Journal and Black Issues Book Review. A Cave Canem alumni, Jess’s fellowships and additional awards include a 2016 Lannan Literary Award in Poetry, a 2004 Literature Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a 2006 Whiting Fellowship. Jess is a Professor of English at the College of Staten Island.