POETRY is MEDICINE - a workshop led by Cheyenne Avila

RESERVE YOUR SPACE IN ADVANCE HERE!

STAY PUBLIC presents POETRY is MEDICINE, a creative writing workshop led by my dear friend Cheyenne Avila!

where: STAY GALLERY - 11140 Downey Ave.,
​Downey, CA 90241
when: SATURDAY, JULY 6th
​2:00 PM to 5:30 PM

STAY PUBLIC is a space designed for creatives, allowing them to use Stay's platform to put on community events and programs. I think what they are doing is awesome and I'm so proud that my friend is leading this upcoming workshop! I sat down with Cheyenne to discuss the workshop in advance, get some insight on what to expect from attending, and capture her beauty on photo!
See the photo gallery, Q&A, and workshop poster below!

REMINDER: YOU MUST RESERVE YOUR SPACE IN ADVANCE HERE!

Q: Cliché, but please tell us a little about yourself! Who are you?
A: Hello all! I'm a Black and Mexican poet from Bellflower, CA. I'm 22 years old. (If you're into astrology I'm a Gemini Sun, Leo Moon) I have my Bachelor's in Creative Writing and I'm starting grad school for my Masters in Poetry at Mills College! 

Q: When did you realize your passion was in writing?
A: Hmm... good question. I started taking my writing seriously in college, but I was always writing made up stories and silly poems when I was a kid. I read a lot when I was a child, I loved stories. I loved Shel Silverstein, I used to read his poems over and over for hours. I also really loved those Chicken Soup books. I loved history books. One of my favorite picture books was(/is) Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon. It's about a small, big-headed brown girl with buckteeth. She moves to a new school and a bully tries to pick on her for all her eccentricities, but every time he tries to tear her down she completely embraces her quirks and makes him feel foolish! She really spoke to me. I loved reading because it made me feel like I was connected to something or someone. Most of the time, when I think about how I fell in love with writing poetry, I think about slam poetry and my first experiences competing, but really it was much earlier. I've always felt like stories were important, that understanding them, listening to them, and speaking them was healing and sacred.
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Q: What's inspiring you to led this community event?
A: A few reasons. One is that I'm preparing to move to Oakland for grad school and some people have asked how they can support me and my craft through this transition. The other reason is that I do genuinely love to teach people how to write. One is that I love seeing people gain confidence in their voice on the page, witnessing them begin to lean into themselves by commanding language. I love poetry. I love language. I used poetry and poetic techniques in my spiritual practice and it helped me achieve so much healing and gave me so much space and opportunity to reflect and process. I kind of felt a tug on my spirit. I don't want to be one of those "artists" that only shows up when there's a mic and audience. I want to be someone that mentors and guides others. I want to support and encourage people.

Q: What topics are you going to be covering during the writing workshop?
A: The first half of the class will be about the physical body and the second will be about the inner-child. This workshop is focusing less on the craft of poetry (although a few of the exercises we'll be going through are extremely helpful for idea-generation) and more about poetry as a tool that can help us achieve healing and connection. The workshop will be equal parts writing and discussion, so come ready to interact and share!

YOU MUST RESERVE YOUR SPACE IN ADVANCE HERE!

Connect with Cheyenne on social media!
@frijolitajones