POETRY IN MOTION: WRITING AND ANIMATING OUR ORIGINS
Ages 16-29
Fall 2018, JHU-MICA Film Center
In this poetry writing and animation workshop, fellows will explore the intersection of literary and film arts through the hybrid form of the “motionpoem.” They’ll read poetry by Lucille Clifton and Yusef Komunyakaa, among others, closely examining literary techniques like imagery, figurative language, and narrative, then write poems of their own using those devices. They’ll draw from their own lives, focusing on their literal and imaginative “origins,” considering place and family, and developing a self-mythology. As they create poetry about the forces and experiences that shape their identities, they’ll also be exploring the potential of collage and hand-drawn animation to give their work new dimension and bring their poems to life. They’ll take inspiration from the online archive Motionpoems (link), brainstorming, storyboarding, shooting, and creating audio to take their poems from words to moving images to finished animated films. They'll learn how to use text overlay, record a voice-over, and incorporate music and sound effects, highlighting verbal and sonic elements in their films. Their finished projects will be shared at a public screening and on the program website. Limited to 12 student fellows.
Dora Malech is an assistant professor in The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University and the author of three books of poetry, most recently Stet (Princeton University Press, 2018). She works with Writers in Baltimore Schools and is passionate about writing, visual art, collaboration, and community.
Yiran (Eva) Guo is a freelance illustrator and animator originally from the plains of northern China. She is a graduate of the MFA program in Illustration Practice at Maryland Institute College of Art, and in her time in the States, has created award-winning window displays, GIFs, animations, and illustrations.
Alfonzer Harvin has a B.A. in Computer Animation from Morgan State University and is skilled in all phases of production. He believes knowledge is power.
