Forms & Features with Kameryn Alexa Carter

All are welcome to a poetry discussion and creative writing workshop, “Standing Outside Myself: The Black Ecstatic,” created and led by Kameryn Alexa Carter.

Ecstasy is a rapture of the senses. Its Greek etymology means “to stand outside oneself” and “removal from the proper place.” That sensory, spiritual displacement (into joy and despair, most usually simultaneously) has a longstanding precedent in poetry, and this workshop will explore the theme of ecstasy in black poetics specifically. This exploration will be threefold in its focus, diving deep into poems that engage with ecstasy and nature, ecstasy and spirituality, and ecstasy as it relates to desire/love. We will investigate continuities across the tradition, both formal and in content. Formal elements include the ode as an ecstatic genre and the energetic build of anaphora. Within content, the texts chosen engage with images of the celestial and hell, dreams and visions, dance and touch. Journeying across the fantastical, surreal, and quotidian bliss, this workshop will operate on the premise that ecstasy holds both awe and horror, ultimate joy and madness, and you'll come out of the workshop with your own portal into ecstatic feeling.

Kameryn Alexa Carter (they/them) is a black poet. They are a founding co-editor of Emergent Literary, a journal for black and brown artists. Their work has appeared in 68to05, Bennington Review, Phoebe, Torch Literary Arts, Bat City Review, The Best American Poetry 2023 and elsewhere. They are the recipient of a 2024 Pushcart Prize, and they are currently at work on New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh for Bloomsbury’s 33 ⅓ series. You can find them online at kamerynalexacarter.com.

Registration is required for this event. To allow for more poets to participate in workshops with Visiting Teaching Artists, participants will be registered for the January workshop with Kameryn Alexa Carter or the February workshop with T.S. Leonard, but not both sessions. This program is for adult participants, aged 18 and older.

Closed captioning is available via Google Meet. We are happy to provide ASL interpretation. Please let us know at least one week in advance, if possible, if you would benefit from an ASL interpreter in attendance. If you would benefit from any other accessibility measures, please contact us by emailing [email protected]. Learn more about Google Meet’s built-in accessibility features here.