The Sundress Academy for the Arts hosts the Sundress Workshop Series, a series of generative writing workshops emphasizing composition, revision, and creative development. As part of Sundress Publications, the Sundress Workshop Series provide focused and expert instruction to writers of all skill levels. Participants are treated to guidance from advanced instructors who help them to not only hone their craft but also opportunities to create and share new work.
Workshops
REVOLT!: Past as Prologue
January 14th, 2025, 6:00-7:30PM EST
http://tiny.utk.edu/sundress
The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present “REVOLT!: Past as Prologue,” a workshop led by Henry Hicks IV on Wednesday, January 14th from 6:00-7:30 PM EST. This event will be held over Zoom. Participants can access the event at tiny.utk.edu/sundress (password: sundress).
“REVOLT!: Past as Prologue” will be a generative workshop for writers of all levels working in prose. We will engage with texts such as Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, The Faggots and their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell, and “Venus In Two Acts” by Saidiya Hartman to examine the role of history and historical memory in bolstering our art as writers and our actions as changemakers.
In REVOLT!, participants will be asked to bring in an example of a historic moment of uprising. Together, we will examine and analyze these histories while being prompted to generate our own pieces of literary, narrative, or speculative prose that engages, builds upon, or inherits this history of rebellion. REVOLT! will urge participants to envision themselves as agents of change locally, nationally, and globally—and to support them in using their writing as a tool for envisioning and enacting resistance work today.
Henry Hicks IV (he/him) is an American writer and organizer. His work has appeared in The Guardian, The Nation, Mother Jones, Teen Vogue, In These Times, The Drift, and The Brooklyn Rail, among others. He is a current graduate student at the University of Oxford. He holds a B.A. from Oberlin College in creative writing and comparative American studies. His writing has been supported by Lambda Literary, Tin House, the Sundress Academy for the Arts, the Oxford Writers’ House, and The Porch. He can be found online at henryhicksiv.com.
This event is brought to you by a grant provided by the Tennessee Arts Commission.
Love Hurts: Writing the Break-up Poem
February 11th, 2025, 6:00-7:30PM EST
http://tiny.utk.edu/sundress
The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present “Love Hurts: Writing the Break-up Poem,” a workshop led by Amie Whittemore on Wednesday, February 11th from 6:00-7:30 PM EST. This event will be held over Zoom. Participants can access the event at tiny.utk.edu/sundress (password: sundress).
While poetry has a reputation for expressing adoration, it’s also wonderful for expelling the bad energy broken love leaves behind. In this generative class, we’ll look at examples of breakup poems that demonstrate that breakups are as multifaceted as relationships: the sad breakup poem, the angry breakup poem, the regretful breakup poem. Through these poems, we can come to better understand our roles in these relationships that have ended and begin to find peace. After looking at some example poems, there will be time for writers to generate their own breakup poem(s), with individual lines shared in the chat, as time allows.
While there is no fee to participate in this workshop, those who are able and appreciative may make donations directly to Amie Whittemore Venmo: @Amie-Whittemore
Amie Whittemore (she/her) is the author of four poetry collections, most recently the chapbook Hesitation Waltz (Midwest Writing Center, 2025). She was the 2020-2021 Poet Laureate of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. She is a creative writing and yoga instructor. Learn more at amiewhittemore.com.
This event is brought to you by a grant provided by the Tennessee Arts Commission.