Invitational Centennial Poetry Camp for Teens and Adults Offered at Mojave National Preserve

Date: May 2, 2016
Contact: Chris Mills, [phone]

Veteran poets and poets in the discovery period are invited to take part in a workshop devoted to the art of writing poetry in the desert May 4 - 7, 2016 at Mojave National Preserve. The workshop is free of charge. 

The classes will be led by the author and poet Michaelsun Stonesweat Knapp of the Costanoan-Rumsen Carmel Band of Ohlone Indians. 

Each three-hour class will cover the writing experience, from crafting poetry about the natural world to revision. There will be one session per day, with time for exploring and writing in the afternoons. "By developing senses of observation, association, and place in the Mojave, students will become better artists," Michaelsun Knapp said. 

Participants will camp at Black Canyon Group and Equestrian Campground free of charge. Classes will be conduced at the campground and in the field. 

Michaelsun Knapp's work has been published in Ball State University's magazine, The Broken Plate, Creepy Gnome, and The Chaffey Review, among others. He is a recipient of a prize for poetry that is awarded annually by the Muse Times Two project. Muse Times Two pairs New Mexican poets with artists from around the nation in an effort to enrich the local and national literary communities. 

The poetry workshop concludes with the start of the 2016 Star Party, and annual night sky-viewing event that provides powerful telescopes. The Star Party begins at 6 p.m. on May 7th in the Black Canyon Group and Equestrian Campground. The event is sponsored by the Mojave National Preserve Conservancy, a friends group of the Preserve. 

Slots for the poetry workshop are expected to fill quickly, so participants are urged to sign up as soon as possible on our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1727038324176374/

For both the poetry workshop and the Star Party, participants must provide their own camping equipment, food, dishes, utensils, and transportation. 

To get to the campground, turn off I-40 onto Essex Road, drive 10 miles, turn off Essex Road onto Black Canton Road; drive 10 miles, and follow the sign to the Black Canyon Group and Equestrian Campground.