Join us at February 2025's Free Verse, a PSNY initiative designed specifically by & for BIPOC creatives, with Jonny Teklit!Writing about joy, when done right, doesn’t shy away from the daily cruelties and horrors of the world. To do so would make it trite, a hollow platitude. Through examining poems from Lucille Clifton, Ross Gay, and Danez Smith, this workshop aims to demonstrate how joy is not a naive, head-in-the-sand subject, but rather, as Ross Gay writes in his essay collection Inciting Joy, a “serious” one; something that can be cultivated/relied upon in spite of and/or throughout periods of immense pain and tumult. The workshop will close with a writing exercise where everyone will have an opportunity to write something joyful.About the instructor: Jonny Teklit is a winner of the 2019 Academy of American Poets College Poetry Prize as well as the recipient of the 2019 Aliki Perroti and Seth Young Most Promising Young Poet Award. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Adroit Journal, Catapult, Alien Magazine, Glass Poetry Press, Mixed Mag, Dishsoap Quarterly, The Susquehanna Review, and elsewhere.At The Poetry Society of New York, we believe that true creativity flourishes when all voices are heard, especially those that have been historically marginalized. Our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity isn't just a statement—it's woven into the fabric of everything we do. We aim to model this commitment for the entire arts industry, creating spaces where everyone, regardless of their background, feels seen, valued, and empowered.PSNY's Free Verse Workshops are a direct response to the social inequities that too often silence BIPOC and LGBTQ+ voices. These free monthly workshops offer two distinct, identity-centered spaces: one for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and one for LGBTQ+ creatives. Here, participants can connect, create, and explore their unique identities through poetry, in environments designed specifically for them.We recognize that these spaces are not just about creativity—they're about justice. By centering BIPOC and LGBTQ+ experiences, we’re working to dismantle the barriers that have long kept these voices on the margins. Each workshop concludes with a resource-sharing session, where participants can exchange literature, community events, and grants, building networks that extend beyond the workshop.As part of our unwavering commitment to equity, all attendees receive a 50% discount for our Weekly Virtual Workshops—because access to the arts should never be a privilege but a right.If you do not identify as BIPOC or LGBTQ+, we warmly invite you to explore other PSNY events.