Floraffiti® presents: “White, Green Futures’ poetry workshop with Cortland Gilliam

Join us for a free, in-person, creative poetry workshop with the talented Chapel Hill Poet Laureate, Cortland Gilliam.

Across the globe, Black, Indigenous, and other minoritized communities of color are among the most vulnerable to the adverse consequences of environmental crises and the solutions proposed to remedy them. Nevertheless, popular media often separates environmental concerns from the socio-political-economic contexts that produce them, thereby marginalizing the knowledge and contributions of non-White environmental organizers and communities.

This two-hour environmental justice education and poetry writing workshop will incorporate lessons from local struggles for environmental justice within BIPOC communities to help connect the sometimes abstract idea of climate change to its effects on people’s real-life experiences.Participants will then practice writing poetry as an exercise in radical imagining and political advocacy for an equitable and just environmental future. From their poetry, each participant will choose words they find important.

Each word will be planted in the ground to grow into powerful, living voices of expression in public spaces throughout Chapel Hill. In early March, there will be several opportunities to volunteer as a Floragardener to plant your word. For more information and to sign up to plant, look in March of this calendar listing.

That’s not all! Each poem will be recorded at the workshop and uploaded to a QR code printed on a sign next to each growing word so that people can scan the code with their smartphone and listen to the poetry.

Whether you’re an experienced poet or just starting out, this workshop is open to all skill levels for teens and adults. It’s a fantastic opportunity to connect with community members, share ideas, and be heard.

The workshop will be held at the Chapel Hill Public Library, Room C.

Spaces are limited, so be sure to secure your spot early!
For more information on Floraffiti®, check out the website at floraffiti.com and follow us on Insta and Facebook, both @floraffiti

Floraffiti is sponsored by:
Carrboro Arts Committee
Carrboro Tourism & Development Authority
Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership
Orange County Visitors Bureau
Strowd Roses, Inc.