The Writer's Garret

29th Anniversary Celebration
2024-05-19 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | TX
Help us celebrate twenty-nine years of connecting people through the power of language with a reception and gorgeous charcuterie spread from Grazing Dallas in the beautiful Turner House.
Presented by the R. L. & Phyllis Glazer Foundation.

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Book Making Workshop For Kids! With Elizabeth Mellott
2024-05-19 15:00 - 16:30 | Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 Jefferson Blvd, Dallas, TX, 75208
Can books growl? They can growl, roar, purr, or whatever you design your creature to do! Spend the afternoon making your own pop-up accordion book! Participants will be guided through the construction of creating a V fold pop up page, an accordion book, and have time to illustrate their own story. Students can create a monster, dinosaur, cat, or whatever creature they design. All materials will be supplied.
The Oak Cliff Cultural Center located on Jefferson Blvd and is a 3 minute walk from the shops and restaurants of the Bishop Arts District.
This workshop is appropriate for kids ages 9-13.
About Elizabeth Mellott:
Elizabeth Mellott’s passion in the arts is to build community through education, creativity and service. Elizabeth has taught children’s summer art camps for over 25 years and has taught full-time at Collin College for 18 years. As a professor, she teaches photography and book arts. Additionally, she opened Lizzie’s little darkroom in 2023 serving as a community darkroom in Oak Cliff and a space to host community events. Elizabeth’s commitment to art is with the goal to enrich lives, both individually and communally.

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Drag Story Time
2024-05-19 14:00 - 15:00 | Whose Books, 512 W. Davis, Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
Story time can only be more fun when drag is involved! Join local drag queen Aunt Marge as she reads stories that will inspire all of us to be our true, authentic selves, then share a cupcake and grab a photo.
This event is open to all ages. RSVP is required.

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Eat, Drink & Be Literary Rom Com Brunch
2024-05-19 11:00 - 12:30 | Turner House, 401 N Rosemont Ave., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
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The only thing better than brunch with your besties is brunch with your besties while watching scenes of your favorite literary couples in the middle of lovers’ quarrels! Enjoy tasty tacos (courtesy of Milagro Tacos Cantina), wine and entertaining scenes enacted in front of you (or maybe next to you) by talented local actors from some of the best romantic comedies ever written.
With performances by local favorites Presley Duyck, Sienna Riehle, Brett Warner, Aaron Clifford White and Sky Williams.
$35 Tickets available now through ticketdfw.com.

Spooky Stories Terror & Tacos
2024-05-18 21:30 - 23:00 | Apprentice Creative Space, 919 Morrell Ave. #110, Dallas, TX, 75203
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Join us to hear from acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Michael Federico in conversation with Maryam Obaidullah Baig, as they explore horror literature in its many iterations and ages. Federico will also read his favorite excerpts from his favorite horror writings.
Michael Federico is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and recipient of the National Endowment of the Arts New Works Grant and the Dramatist Guild of America’s New Works Grant. Some of his plays have been seen in Dallas, New York, Chicago, Austin, and San Diego. Many of his plays are sitting in a drawer. Michael’s horror comedy, The Finale (Bad Omen Pictures; High Octane Media), is available for streaming on Amazon, Apple, and YouTube TV. Michael is currently a full-time writer and script editor for the MrBallen: Strange, Dark, and Mysterious podcast (Ballen Studios, Amazon Music) and the co-host of the horror movie podcast, Terror and Tacos. He has a BFA in Theater from SMU and an MA in Humanities from UTD.

Maryam Obaidullah Baig was born and raised in Pakistan, where she was trained in the historical Pakistani tradition of memorizing, translating, and recitation of Urdu poetry. To extend and fortify her research interest in the subject, she also studied English, Persian and Ancient Greek to understand forms in Urdu poetry in light of poetic expression in those languages. Baig received her Bachelors degree from University of Punjab, double majoring in English Literature and Political Science with a minor in Persian, and received her second Bachelors and her Master of Fine Arts in art, performance and technology from UT Dallas. Baig is a translator, playwright and a fiction writer, and often draws her inspiration from ancient literary texts, folk lore, epic poems and fantasy literature from Pakistan.

$20 Tickets available now through ticketdfw.com.

Touch U With My Mind Erotic Poetry Salon
2024-05-18 21:00 - 22:00 | Daisha Board Gallery, 2720 Bataan St., Dallas, TX, 75212
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Sensual and seductive, this hour-long salon of spoken word hosted by Lyrik Hunter features the talents of A.Psymmetry and Mz. Jolie in an exploration and celebration of the joys and pleasures of the human body. For Mature Audiences; 18+ admitted.
LyriK Hunter, a current resident of Dallas, Tx, has been writing and singing, since a young age and performing consistently since 2020. LyriK’s attempt to conquer stage fright and fear of public speaking turned into an unexpected blessing, early on, allowing her to spread, love, encouragement, and inspiration to the world, through her passionate delivery of words on an international scale. Lyrik is also published author, singer/Songwriter, Actress, Recording Artist, Host, Teaching Artist, Mentor, and full-time entrepreneur, and often referred to as the “singing storyteller” or the”heart healer” by her peers. She is 1/3 of the Denton Black Film Festival’s Poetry Slam 2024 Champion Team, S.I.P. (SISTAS IN POETRY), and known for shattering the walls of boxes and breaking barriers of what most say poetry should look like, by delivering riveting, vivid, and vulnerable expressions of all emotions, with a side of melodic vocals. IG/FB/TikTok : @lyrikhunter
A.Psymmetry is multi-gifted, having many accomplishments across different genres. From poet, to novelist, to performance artist, to designer, to baker, to athlete, to healer. She is the creator of the award-winning banana pudding Banomnom Pudding, 1/3 of the 2024 Denton Black Film Festival Slam Competition winning team, S.I.P. (SISTAS IN POETRY), and a rising face on the DFW poetry scene. She believes that tapping in to each of her God-given gifts will allow her to have a fulfilling and purposeful life and encourages others to do the same.
Follow her on IG: @a.psymmetry and @banomnom.pudding
Mz Jolie is a poet who moonlights as a singer. She hails from Compton California. She is the She. E. O. of Jolieizm LLC, where you can lay down your burdens and pick up inspiration. She is community focused and believes in giving back with Jolie’s Gems, where she teaches the youth poetry, as well as, donates to a local food shelter. She is the 2024 Color Purple Slam Champ. She is 1/3 of S. I. P. (Sistas in Poetry), the 2024 champions of The Denton Black Film Festival Poetry Slam Collab. Mz Jolie is the top 30th woman poet in the world for 2021 WOWPS. She is the curator and host of Express Yaself Open Mic. She is a quadruple threat with the skills to sing, act, model, and write.
Follow her on IG: @Mzjoliethepoet
Tickets from $25 available now through ticketdfw.com.

One Page Salon Presented By Writers' League Of Texas
2024-05-18 19:30 - 21:00 | Apprentice Creative Space, 919 Morrell Ave. #110, Dallas, TX, 75203
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The One Page Salon (called “the best literary evening in town” by the Austin American-Statesman) is a monthly reading series presented in communities across Texas by the Writers’ League of Texas.
Five outstanding writers will read one page from a work in progress, which means the audience will be among the first to hear new material from our talented line-up: Lakiesha Carr, Amanda Churchill, Maya Golden, Manuel Luis Martinez, plus The Garret’s own Executive Director Aaron Glover. Mix in a bit of literary chit chat, fun & games, laughter and so much more for an evening you don’t want to miss!
$20 Tickets available now through ticketdfw.com.
Lakiesha Carr graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and received her MFA at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was awarded a Maytag Fellowship for Excellence in Fiction and a Jeff and Vicki Edwards Post-graduate Fellowship in Fiction. A journalist and writer from East Texas, she has held various editorial and production positions with CNN, The New York Times, and other media. Her writing has received support from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop, the DC Commission on Arts & Humanities for nonfiction writing, and the Kimbilio Fellowship for fiction writing. An Autobiography of Skin is her first book.

Amanda Churchill is a writer living in north Texas. Her work has been featured in Hobart Pulp, Witness, River Styx, and other publications. She proudly serves on the board of the Writers’ League of Texas and holds a master of arts in creative writing from the University of North Texas. Her debut novel, The Turtle House, a work inspired by the life of her grandmother, a Japanese war bride, publishes in February 2024, from Harper Books.

Aaron Glover’s first chapbook, Bio Logic, was released in February 2017 via INF Press. His poetry appears in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Illya’s Honey, the Red River Review, Chicon Street Poets, and elsewhere. From 2011-2016, he was on faculty in the Department of Performance Studies at Texas A&M University. As a performer and director, he worked throughout Texas and the Great Plains. He holds an MFA from the University of Houston.

Maya Golden is an Associated Press winning and Emmy-nominated freelance journalist in Tyler, Texas where her foundation, 1 in 3 Foundation, serves East Texas. Her memoir, The Return Trip, is set to be released on November 14 from Rising Action Publishing Co. Her first novel, a political thriller, The Senator, will release in April 2025, also through Rising Action Publishing Co. For Newsweek, she has written about women in sports journalism. For Salon, she’s written about fandoms and healing, for Insider, she’s written about addiction, and for Black Girl Nerds, she’s written about Complex PTSD, dissociative disorders, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University.

Manuel Luis Martinez serves as professor of literature and directs creative writing at the University of Texas-Dallas. His novels include Crossing, Drift, Day of the Dead, Los Duros, and most recently, Fortunate Monsters. His scholarship on the American Counterculture includes the book, Countering the Counterculture:Rereading Dissent from Kerouac to Rivera. He holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University, and is the recipient of multiple fellowships. His work has been recognized by the American PEN Center, the Dobie Paisano Fellowship, and the MacDowell Colony. He was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in 2013. He was awarded an American Book Award for Los Duros. He is currently working 0n a novel, Tougher Than Us.

Lit Fusion Poetry & Jazz
2024-05-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Daisha Board Gallery, 2720 Bataan St., Dallas, TX, 75212
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Poetry and jazz blend in a captivating concoction during this intimate evening at Daisha Board Gallery. Hosted by B. Randall, with featured poets Mz. Jolie and D. R. Walker, and music by Len Barnett & The Modern Cajun Jazz Ensemble.
B. Randall is the dynamic host of Poetry Smash and Poets N Jazz at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, renowned for her role as host/producer of the acclaimed “In The Words Of A Sistah,” the longest-running all-female cast poetry show. With a passion for inspiring others, she launched her first touring show, “Poetry Is My Praise,” in 2012, captivating audiences with her inspirational and spiritual poetry. Committed to social impact, Randall was commissioned to pen a poignant poem commemorating the 50th Anniversary of desegregation by the Multicultural Alumni Association of Texas A&M –Commerce. Her recorded works have graced prestigious platforms like the 500X Gallery. As co-writer, producer, and director of A Poets Tribute to Nina, she continues to push artistic boundaries.
Mz Jolie is a National poet and the She. E. O. of Jolieizm LLC. She puts on workshops for free teaching poetry to our youth once a month. She is the curator of Express Yaself Open Mic! You can find her in the upcoming play The Fifty Cent Jewelry Line! She is 1/3 of the group S.I.P. (Sistas in Poetry). You can catch her on an open mic near you. Just check out her website at http://www.JolieizmLLC.com for jewelry, apparel, and updates to shows.

Hailing from Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas, D.R. Walker, also known as #iamdwalk, has emerged as a dynamic force in the world of poetry and music. After garnering acclaim for his debut album, which earned him consideration for a Grammy Award, he continues to captivate audiences with his newest poetic expressions entitled “brown.” Embodying the spirit of a true Dallas Poet Laureate, D.R. Walker celebrates and elevates the culture through his evocative artistry. Stay connected with him at www.iamdwalk.com

Len Barnett is a Memphis-born, Dallas-based jazz percussionist with extensive experience performing around the world. Touring experience includes: North American Tour (1995), two European tours, including Iceland (1977, 1985) and Brazil (1985). Len has performed with such jazz and gospel luminaries as Cab Calloway, Pat Boone, CeCe Winans, Kirk Franklin, Peter White, Patti Austin, Kirk Whalum, Tom Braxton, the Rippingtons, Roy Hargrove, Al Di Meola, Wayman Tisdale, BeBe Winans, Trin-I-Tee 5:7, Israel Horton, Philip Bailey and Jeff Lorber. He has been staff percussionist for Brookhaven College since 1991. Len has also taught a percussion workshop at the Irving Arts Center KidsArts Camps each summer since 2005 and has performed around the Metroplex, notably at Dallas Museum of Art, and jazz festivals throughout the state. He has conducted drum circles and drumming and dance workshops for over 20 years, notably for Big Thought, TITAS, Dallas Black Dance Theatre (Alvin Ailey Dance Workshop) and Dallas Summer Musicals (“The Lion King”).
Tickets from $25 available now through ticketdfw.com.

LitTalk: An Extremely Lit Literary Panel
2024-05-18 12:00 - 13:00 | Turner House, 401 N Rosemont Ave., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
It’s LitTalk but with a spicy twist! Series creator and curator Alex Temblador will moderate a discussion with three panelists as they sample progressively hotter salsas provided by Milagros Taco Cantina. Based on the popular YouTube series Hot Ones, this may be the hottest literary panel you’ve ever seen!
Featuring Marcela Fuentes, Maya Golden, and Sebastián Páramo.
LitTalk: An Extremely Lit Literary Panel will take place during the Dallas Is Lit! Book & Author Fair at Turner House on Saturday, May 18th.

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Dallas Is Lit! Book & Author Fair
2024-05-18 11:00 - 16:00 | Turner House, 401 N Rosemont Ave., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
The book fair is back, and we’ve added a chance to meet local authors, too! Just like last year, we’ve got bookstores, art printers, maker suppliers, and other members of the literary community from around the neighborhood and beyond joining us on the Turner House lawn. Inside, individual authors will fill the house with opportunities for you to buy a book and get it signed. Plus, get your raffle tickets for a chance to win some great prizes donated by great local businesses we love. Bring your book fair money and we’ll see you on the lawn!

VENDORSWe’re still taking applications and adding new vendors every day! Please email festival@writersgarret.org for vendor information.
1. Dallas Public Library
2. The First Line Literary Journal
3. Mad Swirl
4. Motina Books
5. Oak Cliff Coalition for the Arts
6. Say It Loud! Readers and Writers
7. Teen Writer’s Project
8. The Writer’s Block
9. The Writer’s Garret
10. Writer’s League of Texas
11. Ask Marj The Research Sage
12. Whose Books
13. Assure Press Publishing & Consulting, LLC
14. Deep Vellum Bookstore & Publishing Co.

AUTHORS

Meagan Anderson
Kevin Casey
Sylvana Flores Ávila
Jessica Bell
Mary Kathleen Covens
Renee Edwards
Mila Fig
Maggie Foster
DeAnn Daley Holcomb
Christine Horstman
David Hopkins
LyriK Hunter
Jonathan Johnson
Lezlee Liljenberg
Chad Nicholas
Jessica Purvis
Matthew Rollins
Cheryl L-G Trent
Shawn M. Warner

LIVE MUSICTauvy Thomason1p-4p

BOOK SWAP*Gently used books for sale!*FREE CHILDREN’S BOOKS (1 per child)Bring your books and swap them Half Price Books style! We will value them on the spot, then give you credits to spend on books!

Story Time En Español
2024-05-18 10:30 - 23:30 | Whose Books, 512 W. Davis, Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
¡Únase a nosotros para la hora del cuento en español! Nuestros amigos de Whose Books están emocionados de celebrar con un cuento y pastelitos. ¡Este evento es gratis!

Poetry In Place With Lisa Huffaker & Joe Milazzo
2024-05-18 10:00 - 12:00 | TX
What influence does place exert on poetry? How does writing informed by the landscape weather through time? Join Teaching Artist In Residence Lisa Huffaker and Joe Milazzo along the banks of the Trinity River for a morning of observation, meditation and writing. This workshop will provide participants with prompts, keywords and materials in which to record observations and compositions.
Lisa Huffaker creates poetry, collage, and assemblage. She is a frequent visiting artist at the Nasher Sculpture Center, a recent C3 Visiting Artist at the Dallas Museum of Art, and creator of White Rock Zine Machine, a micropublishing project offering artist’s books through sculptural vending machines. Her poetry appears or is forthcoming in 32 Poems, Diode, Spillway, THRUSH, Tupelo Quarterly, and elsewhere. Her multimedia installation, Code Room, is currently on view at Ro2 Art. Her book in progress, a collage/erasure transformation of an antifeminist marriage manual written in 1963, was recently featured at TU Delft and Cornell Tech’s 3rd Workshop on Obfuscation.
Joe Milazzo is a writer, editor, educator, and designer. He is the author of the novel Crepuscule W/ Nellie (Civil Coping Mechanisms) and two full-length poetry collections: The Habiliments (Apostrophe Books) and Of All Places In This Place Of All Places (Spuyten Duyvil).
His writings have appeared in Black Clock, Black Warrior Review, BOMB, The Collagist, Prelude, Tammy, Texas Review, and elsewhere.
He is the Founder/Editor-in-Chief of Surveyor Books. Joe lives and works in Dallas, TX, where he was born and raised.
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Dallas Poetry Slam 30th Anniversary Showcase
2024-05-17 20:00 | The Oak Cliff Assembly, 919 Morrell Ave., Dallas, Texas, 75203
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Come celebrate Dallas Poetry Slam’s 30th birthday with a blowout showcase! Featuring a staggering roster of champions, favorites and all-time greats, you don’t want to miss this!
Host: Sherrie Zantea (Candy)
GNO
Rock Baby
Jason Carney
DonJuan Hutchinson
Brandon “Don” Jackson
Nova
Rain
Rachelle “peanut butta” Davis
The Relief Session Poetry Team
Terry Odis
Ant The MC
Kinney Lee Fields
Durmerrick Ross
LGB
TYC Veronica
Ty Foard
Lyrique Jaye
Jus Marvin

Music by: DJ Trikky
Doors at 7pm, Show at 8pm
Tickets $20 at the door

Iluminado: A Conversation With Javier Zamora
2024-05-16 19:30 - 20:30 | Texas Theatre, 231 Jefferson Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
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Salvadoran poet and memoirist Javier Zamora, author of Solito, will appear at the Texas Theatre on May 16, 2024, presented by The Writer’s Garret in partnership with Activating Reading Communities Organization (ARCO). Zamora will be joined by ARCO founder Claudia Vega for a conversation. The conversation will include his migration, his experiences as a poet and writer of color in the contemporary literary landscape, and the broader discussion regarding representation in literary conversations. Iluminado is the marquee event of the Dallas Is Lit! literary festival, hosted by The Writer’s Garret, taking place May 13-19, 2024.
Accompanied only by strangers and a hired “coyote,” Zamora left his beloved aunt and grandparents to reunite with his mother and father in the United States. The three-thousand-mile journey, only expected to last two weeks until he was abandoned in Oaxaca, stretched into two life-altering months spent among strangers turned guardians as he traveled from El Salvador to Guatemala and then Mexico before arriving in the United States. Narrated by his nine-year-old self, Zamora’s memoir, Solito, provides an intimate account of his near-impossible journey and the unexpected moments of kindness, love, and joy scattered across perilous boat trips, desert treks, arrests, and betrayals.
“Javier’s story is, at times, breath-taking,” said Aaron Glover, Executive Director of The Writer’s Garret, “and speaks to a resilience and strength to which we can all aspire. His journey, both literally to the U.S. and literarily as poet and storyteller, is a beautiful example of how the communities we are part of create and shape who we are.”
“We are thrilled to bring Javier Zamora to Oak Cliff,” said Claudia Vega, founder of Whose Books and Executive Director of ARCO, who will be speaking with Zamora during the event. “His memoir Solito is profound and speaks to the journey of many in our community.”
Tickets start at $30, with a student discount are available, through TicketDFW.com, or by calling 214-871-5000.
Iluminado: A Conversation With Javier Zamora is presented with generous support from Activating Reading Communities Organization and Humanities Texas.

Cake & Prose - Sam Renner
2024-05-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Apprentice Creative Space, 919 Morrell Ave. #110, Dallas, TX, 75203
The Writer’s Garret is thrilled to announce its support for Cake & Prose, a reading series dedicated to … well, cake and prose.
Cake and Prose is a unique literary event celebrating genre fiction, local talent, and cake. The ingredients are simple:
Three stories. An author shares three stories — read by three different actors. These stories could be any genre. They could be short stories or excerpts of a longer work.
Three songs. A musical performance by a guest artist adds another layer to this night of entertainment. Themes can emerge between the stories and songs.
One cake. During the intermission, there is cake. Really good cake from a local bakery.
Mix together and enjoy!
This month, come hear the work of sci-fi writer Sam Renner performed by Kyle Eric Bradford, Lydia Mackay, and Brad McEntire, with musical guest Andy Yu.
SAM RENNER (AUTHOR)
Sam Renner is a Texas-based writer of science fiction serials. He loves daring crews, hopeless missions, and gutsy captains. When he’s not writing sci-fi stories he’s helping his wife raise their three kids near Dallas.

ANDY YU (MUSICAL GUEST)
In the resonant universe of indie music, Andy Yu emerges as a luminary, channeling the essence of love into evocative compositions. With his tender melodies and soulful harmonies, Andy’s sonic tapestry unfurls emotions from the raw exhilaration of new romance to the poignant depths of separation, captivating listeners with every beat.

BRAD MCENTIRE (READER)
Brad McEntire is a theatre and visual artist. He is the author of Crafting the Solo Show, a handbook on theatrical solo performance as well as several other works. He is into a bunch of stuff beyond what can easily fit in this short bio. Since 2008 he has served as artistic director of Audacity Theatre Lab. More info at: BradMcEntirePlays.com

KYLE ERIC BRADFORD (READER)
Kyle Eric Bradford is the Artistic Director of the Alternative Comedy Theater and a freelance dramaturg. With two decades of professional improv under his belt and a flair for the niche and nerdy, Kyle is excited to be taking part in Cake and Prose for the first time.

LYDIA MACKAY (READER)
Lydia Mackay is a professional stage & voice actor and an Associate Professor of Performance in the Department of Theatre at Texas Christian University. She is forever nurturing the connections that live between her passions – education, performance, storytelling, meditative movement, playful invention, and empathetic living. Give her a Google.

DAVID HOPKINS (CURATOR)
David Hopkins is a fantasy novelist with an interest in Shakespeare, medieval history, fairy tales, and myth. He is the author of the Dryad’s Crown, the first in a series of novels.

MATT COBB (CURATOR)
Matt Cobb is a writer and avid reader with a focus on genre fiction. He lives with his family in Fort Worth.

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Lyceum Series Brown Bag Round Table
2024-05-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Turner House, 401 N Rosemont Ave., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
Pack a lunch and join several of our Lyceum Series instructors for a conversation hosted by series creator Lauren Brazeal Garza on a variety of literary topics. In the spirit of democratic discussion, we hope you’ll join the conversation too!
Featuring previous Lyceum Series instructors Matt Baker, James Davis and upcoming instructors Janelle Gray and Bahar Momeni.

Matthew Baker is a poet and teacher pursuing his Ph. D. in Literature from the University of Texas at Dallas. He received his MFA from the University of Nevada, Reno, and is the author of Undoing the Hide’s Taut Musculature (FLP, 2019). His poems have appeared in Muzzle Magazine, The Southern Review, The Atlanta Review, and Booth Journal, among others.

James Davis’s debut poetry collection Club Q won the Anthony Hecht Prize. Recent poems have appeared or are forthcoming in The Sewanee Review, Five Points, The Hopkins Review, Barrelhouse, and elsewhere. He is Editor-in-Chief of American Literary Review and will receive his PhD in literature and creative writing from the University of North Texas in May.

Janelle Gray is a creative, scholar, and instructor from Dallas, Texas. Her portfolio consists of four books, an album, plays, short films, multiple TV series, and feature films. Gray holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Spanish from Stephen F. Austin and a Master of Liberal Arts in Creative Writing and Literature from Harvard University Extension School and is a doctoral candidate at The University of Texas at Dallas. Gray is a produced playwright whose interdisciplinary methodology explores the connections between creative works, history, and actions toward equity in creative and academic spaces.

Bahar Momeni is an Iranian-American award-winning writer, poet, translator, and human rights activist. She’s working toward her Ph.D. in Literature at UT Dallas, where she teaches creative writing and literature.
She has published works in both Farsi and English. Her writings explore themes of women’s resilience and everyday resistance, contributing to ongoing conversations in modern literature. In 2023, Bahar received the “Outstanding Emerging BIPOC Creator Award” from UT Austin, highlighting her impact as a BIPOC creator. She also receives the “2024 Future Art Writers Award” from MOZAIK Philanthropy and San Francisco State University. Currently engrossed in her debut semi-autobiographical graphic novel, The Trees We Carry, Bahar aims to extend her discourse on identity, displacement, and resistance.

Lauren Brazeal Garza is the author of three short books of poetry and fiction in addition to her memoir-in-verse, Gutter (YesYes Books, 2018), which chronicles her homelessness as a teenager. Her most recent project, a literary horror novel, was inspired by her experiences as a queer woman living in poverty after she aged out of the foster system. She earned her M.F.A. in creative writing from Bennington College, and is preparing to graduate with her Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Texas at Dallas with a specialty in testimonial literature and narratives from marginalized voices. She teaches literature and creative writing at UT Dallas and Writing Workshops (partnered with Electric Lit).

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Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts Presents Poet Scape: A Literary Salon
2024-05-14 19:30 - 21:30 | Turner House, 401 N Rosemont Ave., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
Come enjoy light bites and beverages in the stunning Turner House ballroom before listening to poets of the DFW literary community share their work in this intimate event. The Garret is proud to partner with the Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts for this event.
Featuring Lyrik Hunter, Barbara Johnson, Sebastian Paramo & Priscilla Rice
Doors open at 7 p.m. Light bites and beverages provided.
Click Here For Tickets:
OCSFA Member early admission $435
OCSFA Member admission $45
General public early admission $40
General public admission $50
Interested in finding out about OCSFA Membership? Learn more.

Mad Swirl Happy Hour
2024-05-14 17:00 - 19:00 | Barbara’s Pavillion, 325 Centre St., Dallas, TX, 75208
Come experience the swirlin’ madness of one of Dallas’ longest running performance poetry collectives at one of Oak Cliff’s best kept secrets.
Featuring longtime Mad Swirl contributors Johnny O, MH Clay, Opalina Salas, Carlos Salas, Roderick Richardson, and Desmene Statum. Chris Curiel provides musical interludes.

Hear Me, See Me
2024-05-13 19:00 - 20:30 | The Oak Cliff Assembly, 919 Morrell Ave., Dallas, Texas, 75203
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Kicking off the 2024 Dallas Is Lit! literary festival is the return of the multilingual poetry performance Hear Me, See Me.
Hear Me, See Me offers a moving multilingual affirmation the audience will hear, see, and feel. The performance combines English and Spanish, and includes music, rhythm, and movement in an exploration of the possibilities of self-expression, the power of poetry, and the truth of shared experience that unites us all.

Brian was born and raised in Mexico City. He is a Medical Interpreter at a pediatric hospital. His work has appeared in several publications including Oyez Review, Ravens Quoth Press, JAKE Magazine, and Irradiación. He was a contributor for the now-extinct vaporwave magazine Private Suite. His first poetry chapbook Thank You for Shopping at Secgens was published this year, (Alien Buddha Press) and the thesis chapbook for his master’s in creative writing Laúsfera will come out later this same year. (Editorial Adarve.)

Martin is a human being, “a Latin American poet away from the Latin American poets.” You can find him wandering around downtown Dallas, reading and writing at random coffee shops around America. He have been a sometimes active member of the Dallas poetic open mic scene for the last decade.

LyriK Hunter, a current resident of Dallas, Tx, has been writing and singing, since a young age and performing consistently since 2020. LyriK’s attempt to conquer stage fright and fear of public speaking turned into an unexpected blessing, early on, allowing her to spread, love, encouragement, and inspiration to the world, through her passionate delivery of words on an international scale. Lyrik is also published author, singer/Songwriter, Actress, Recording Artist, Host, Teaching Artist, Mentor, and full-time entrepreneur, and often referred to as the “singing storyteller” or the”heart healer” by her peers. She is 1/3 of the Denton Black Film Festival’s Poetry Slam 2024 Champion Team, S.I.P. (SISTAS IN POETRY), and known for shattering the walls of boxes and breaking barriers of what most say poetry should look like, by delivering riveting, vivid, and vulnerable expressions of all emotions, with a side of melodic vocals. IG/FB/TikTok : @lyrikhunter

Linda Jones is a writing doula, transformational coach, journalist, author, certified grief
recovery specialist, creative artist and owner of ManeLock Communications, LLC. She helps
clients give birth to writing that helps them tell better stories, preserve legacy, and maintain their emotional health and well-being. Linda has worked as a journalist for several daily newspapers (i.e., The Detroit News, Dallas Morning News, Ft. Lauderdale News and Sun Sentinel) and has contributed to several print and online publications (i.e., The Daily Beast, USA Today (Sunday), People, Heart & Soul and Essence magazines). Highlights of her news career included coverage of the Black Hebrew
Israelites, the expatriate Black American community in Dimona, Israel, the historic U.S. tour of
South African activist Nelson Mandela when he was released from prison after 27 years, and the
historic 1994 election when he became that country’s first Black president.

Priscilla Rice is a Pleasant-Grove based storyteller, actor, community activist, and radio host. She has a passion for arts advocacy, parks as equitable spaces, building community, and language justice. Her first book “We Are What We Are,” a collaboration with poet/author Lopamudra Banerjee was published in 2022. She is a member of Tejana Cósmica, a performing arts and production company.

Roderick Earl Richardson graduated from Tarleton State University with a BS in Mass communications with minors in English and journalism. He went on to work in sevaral newspapers across Texas. Roderick left his career in journalism in 2001 to move to the Metroplex. Roderick began performing in poetry open mics in 2006, and has written several poetry chapbooks. His most recent book, titled “Day by Day,” published in 2020, is a collection of poems about his struggles after suffering a stroke that same year.

La’ Bron Robinson is a poet who lives and writes in Dallas, TX.

Trang Quỳnh Thị Vũ (she/her) is a spoken word artist with two published works: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso and Poetree of Life. She began writing poetry at 10 years old and began performing in 2016. Outside of being a poet/writer, she is a filmmaker and is the owner of Trang Vu Productions which offers photography, videography, and video editing services. In her free time, she enjoys audiobooks and video games.
You can follow her on Instagram:
@trangquynhthivu
@trangvuproductions
@t.v.writes

Spencer Kenney is a musician, producer and songwriter from Dallas, Texas. He has toured the US as a sideman and performed at major festivals like ACL and SXSW. As a solo artist, his debut album came out in 2016 on New Math Records, with his sophomore follow up release in 2020 on Dolfin Records. He is one half of DFW based Beekeeper Spaceman. You can see him performing regularly in the city, primarily with one of Dallas’ premier cumbia acts, Sabor Puro, and with jazz-electronic outfit China Club.

Tejana Cosmica (Co-Producer) is a production collective in the Dallas area that centers underrepresented voices in performance and visual mediums. They explore ancestral pasts, connection to land, how our varied histories shape our cultural present, and how art and organizing practices can help shape a bold, innovative, compassionate, restful, and energizing future– a future that includes creative care for those with disabilities and those who care for them, our elders, and ourselves.
$20 Tickets available now through ticketdfw.com.

Lyceum Series - Oops! All Couplets with Dr. James Davis
2024-04-20 10:00 - 12:00 | The Writer’s Garret, 215 S. Tyler St., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
More than a two-lined stanza, a couplet is a little study of “and.” Couplets help us make sense of relationships: between lover and beloved, body and soul, self and other. In addition to their metaphoric utility, couplets are fun; their jokelike setup-and-punchline structure feeds our hunger for surprise. Rhymed or unrhymed, closed or open, couplets have populated English poetry from Chaucer to the present day. Several acclaimed contemporary collections are written exclusively in couplets (notably, Maggie Millner’s aptly titled 2023 debut, Couplets). This class presents a wide variety of approaches to the couplet, old and new, to show how this stanza may help the poet grapple with the paradox of “and,” which separates even as it joins. The class will respond to writing prompts that take advantage of the couplet’s unique and expansive attributes.
About Dr. James Davis:
James Davis’s debut poetry collection Club Q won the Anthony Hecht Prize. Recent poems have appeared or are forthcoming in The Sewanee Review, Five Points, The Hopkins Review, Barrelhouse, and elsewhere. He is Editor-in-Chief of American Literary Review and will receive his PhD in literature and creative writing from the University of North Texas in May.

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Write To Heal Veterans Workshop
2024-04-18 19:00 - 21:00 | The Writer’s Garret, 215 S. Tyler St., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
The Writer’s Garret is calling all Veterans to participate in our “Write to Heal” writer’s workshop. These twice monthly workshops are free for all U.S. Veterans and active duty military members. Regardless of what branch you served in, which era you wore the country’s cloth in, whether you saw combat or maintained the liberties of our free nation, we want to hear you sound off!
At each “Write to Heal” session you’ll be given a writing exercise that will help you tell your story. We’ll provide the creative tools necessary to explore your experiences. You will be presented with various writing techniques, ranging from poetry to prose, and you will be provided positive, constructive feedback from both the instructor and your fellow Vets participating in the workshop.
Contact Johnny Olson

LitTalk: Author Panel Series - DFW Debut Authors
2024-04-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Whose Books, 512 W. Davis, Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
Join Writing Workshops Dallas & The Writer’s Garret for LitTalk: Author Panel Series at Whose Books on Wednesday, April 17th at 7 pm. Novelist & series creator Alex Temblador will moderate a panel featuring Amanda Churchill, Shaun Hamill, and Andie Woodard as they discuss the process of publishing a first work.
Amanda Churchill is a writer living in north Texas. Her work has been featured in Hobart Pulp, Witness, River Styx, and other outlets. She was a Writer’s League of Texas 2021 Fellow and holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of North Texas. The Turtle House is her first novel.

Shaun Hamill received his BA in English from the University of Texas at Arlington, and his MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His debut novel, A Cosmology of Monsters, was published in 2019. His fiction has appeared in Carve and Come Join Us By the Fire 2. His nonfiction has appeared at Crimereads and Tor Nightfire. His second novel, The Dissonance, comes out 7/23/24. He lives and works in Arlington, Texas.

Andie Woodard (they/she) is a queer writer and activist. They received their MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Antioch University, and their chapbook poetry collection, TRAILER TRASH, is available through Bottlecap Press. Andie lives in the Dallas Metroplex with their very anxious emotional support dog, Sirius, and their little cat, Young Bernie Sanders. You can read more of their work at ModusOperandiee.com.

Alex Temblador is the creator and host of LitTalk, and the award-winning author of Half Outlaw and Secrets of the Casa Rosada. Writing an Identity Not Your Own, Alex’s first non-fiction book, is forthcoming this year, published through St. Martin’s Essentials. Her creative work has appeared in PALABRITAS and D Magazine, as well as anthologies like Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America and Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology. In addition to teaching creative writing classes and seminars, Alex is an award-winning journalist published in the likes of Travel + Leisure, Outside, Conde Nast Traveler, among many others.

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Pegasus Contemporary Ballet & The Writer's Garret Present Words For A Resonant Space
2024-04-13 20:00 - 21:30, 2024-04-12 20:00 - 21:30 | Kalita Humphreys Theatre, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd., Dallas, Texas, 75204
Pegasus Contemporary Ballet, in collaboration with the Writer’s Garret, presents Words For A Resonant Space. This inspiring and unique production combines dance and poetry with imagination and insight into the human experience. Featuring Dallas-based poet Lisa Huffaker alongside the dancers of Pegasus Contemporary Ballet, this production will highlight the parallel power of language and movement, artfully crafted into poignant, refreshing, and entertaining vignettes. Choreography by Artistic Director Diana Crowder and script by The Writer’s Garret Executive Director, Aaron Glover. Join us at the historic Kalita Humphreys Theater April 12-13.
Get tickets now, and use code “WRITERS” for 20% off tickets!

Gardens Of Solitude: Reading Faiz With Maryam Baig
2024-04-13 14:00 - 16:00 | The Writer’s Garret, 215 S. Tyler St., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
Faiz Ahmed Faiz was and remains among the most celebrated poets of Pakistani literature, remaining influential even now, forty years after his death. Join Maryam Baig for an afternoon reading and discussing Faiz’s work, which will not only introduce participants to genres, themes, and structures in Urdu poetry, but will also detail Faiz’s works in relation to historical, contemporary and modern Urdu poets from South Asia. All materials will be provided in Urdu with their English translations.
Maryam Obaidullah Baig was born and raised in Pakistan, where she was trained in the historical Pakistani tradition of memorizing, translating, and recitation of Urdu poetry. To extend and fortify her research interest in the subject, she also studied English, Persian and Ancient Greek to understand forms in Urdu poetry in light of poetic expression in those languages. Baig received her Bachelors degree from University of Punjab, double majoring in English Literature and Political Science with a minor in Persian, and received her second Bachelors and her Master of Fine Arts in art, performance and technology from UT Dallas. Baig is a translator, playwright and a fiction writer, and often draws her inspiration from ancient literary texts, folk lore, epic poems and fantasy literature from Pakistan.
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Stone Soup New Works Reading
2024-04-07 15:00 - 16:30 | Apprentice Creative Space, 919 Morrell Ave. #110, Dallas, TX, 75203
At the heart of The Writer’s Garret’s mission, Stone Soup peer critique working groups support writers of every level of their craft. Since our founding, Stone Soup groups have created an encouraging environment for the development of new works across genre. We’re proud of the work these workshops have enabled, including full-length novels, long-form journalism, dozens of short stories, hundreds of poems, and countless hours of conversations amongst literary enthusiasts.
This April, join us for an afternoon of readings from participants who contribute to the four Stone Soup peer critique working groups currently meeting each month.

Writing In Nature With Lisa Huffaker
2024-04-06 09:00 - 12:00 | Twelve Hills Nature Center, 817 Mary Cliff Rd., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
The shift of seasons, year after year, means the natural landscape provides ever-changing inspiration for artistic expression. Whether honing the precision of observational description or threading the needle of metaphor, writers of every skill level and style can use nature writing as a practice for experimentation, development and pleasure. Join Teaching Artist in Residence Lisa Huffaker for a thoughtful morning of writing, sharing and reflection.
Note: Writing In Nature will include moving through areas that are sometimes minimally affected by the conditions of the weather, and uneven surfaces. The walk and workshop will take place rain or shine (severe weather excluded).
Lisa Huffaker creates poetry, collage, and assemblage. She is a frequent visiting artist at the Nasher Sculpture Center, a recent C3 Visiting Artist at the Dallas Museum of Art, and creator of White Rock Zine Machine, a micropublishing project offering artist’s books through sculptural vending machines. Her poetry appears or is forthcoming in 32 Poems, Diode, Spillway, THRUSH, Tupelo Quarterly, and elsewhere. Her multimedia installation, Code Room, is currently on view at Ro2 Art. Her book in progress, a collage/erasure transformation of an antifeminist marriage manual written in 1963, was recently featured at TU Delft and Cornell Tech’s 3rd Workshop on Obfuscation.
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Write To Heal Veterans Workshop
2024-04-04 19:00 - 21:00 | The Writer’s Garret, 215 S. Tyler St., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
The Writer’s Garret is calling all Veterans to participate in our “Write to Heal” writer’s workshop. These twice monthly workshops are free for all U.S. Veterans and active duty military members. Regardless of what branch you served in, which era you wore the country’s cloth in, whether you saw combat or maintained the liberties of our free nation, we want to hear you sound off!
At each “Write to Heal” session you’ll be given a writing exercise that will help you tell your story. We’ll provide the creative tools necessary to explore your experiences. You will be presented with various writing techniques, ranging from poetry to prose, and you will be provided positive, constructive feedback from both the instructor and your fellow Vets participating in the workshop.
Contact facilitator Johnny Olson

Lyceum Series: Daniel DeVaughn - Writing Past Lives: Description At The Threshold
2024-03-16 10:00 - 12:00 | The Writer’s Garret, 215 S. Tyler St., Dallas, TX, 75208, United States
Welcome to the lyceum.
These free, monthly workshops are held on the third Saturday of the month, and offer writers of every genre and skill level an opportunity to learn, experiment and develop their craft. We hope you’ll join us!
“Writing Past Lives: Description At The Threshold,” led by Daniel DeVaughn, will be held on March 16, 2024.
In this course, instructor Daniel DeVaughn will guide participants through discussions of poems in which the poet, or speaker, looks back in memory to who they were and how this informs who they are in the “now” of the poem. In this way, the page becomes a still point, but also a passage from one way of being and seeing in the world to another that is often more expansive, inclusive, or generous. Participants will learn how to use concrete descriptive language, how to play with time and tense to create narrative movement, as well as some common poetic structures that can be useful in shaping our own lived experience.
Click here for syllabus

Daniel DeVaughn is a writer and teacher from Birmingham, Alabama. His poems appear or are forthcoming in Tupelo Quarterly, Poets.org, The Adroit Journal, Southern Humanities Review, The Nashville Review, Texas University Press’ Southern Poetry Anthology Vol. X: Alabama, and elsewhere. He is Reviews and Interviews Editor at the American Literary Review, as well as a Voertman-Ardoin Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas where he is pursuing a PhD in creative writing.
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Writing From The Senses With Joe Milazzo
2024-03-10 11:00 - 14:00 | Full City Rooster, 1810 S. Akard St. #100, TX, 75208, United States
Powerful writing presents us with things to hear, see, touch, smell, and touch. In this workshop, participants will engage brief readings, discussion, and shared writing exercises, with a focus on:

How to get in touch with our senses.
How to translate sensory impressions into figurative language (or imagery).
How to use imagery to make our writing more concrete, vivid, and engaging.

Participants will have an opportunity to share their original work and receive feedback on it during this session.

*Weather permitting, some of these exercises involve outdoor activities.

Joe Milazzo is a writer, editor, educator, and designer. He is the author of the novel Crepuscule W/ Nellie, two volumes of poetry — The Habiliments and Of All Places In This Place Of All Places — and several chapbooks (most recently, @p_roblem_s). His writings have appeared in Black Clock, Black Warrior Review, BOMB, Prelude, Tammy, Texas Review and elsewhere. He is an Associate Editor for Southwest Review and the proprietor of Imipolex Press. He lives online at joe-milazzo.com.

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