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Street Poets Inc. creates circles. Poetry circles. Drum circles. Multi-cultural multi-generational circles. Creative healing circles
within which at-risk youth and young adults can breathe, write, laugh, cry and rediscover their authentic voices in the midst of a
world increasingly ruled by fear and permeated by violence. We do what we do with the larger goal of transforming our society into
one that champions the creative process, multicultural community, peace-making, healing and personal growth.
The writer does not learn to write so that he can "write," but because without the necessary tools, he cannot dig his way out of prison. - Allan Swallow Facilitated by Street Poets teaching artists and alumni, our poetry workshops inspire youth to tell their stories and develop their creative voices through writing. As the cylinders of our Street Poets community engine, these workshops are fueled by our deep belief in the transformational power of the creative process. We currently lead weekly poetry workshops for youth and young adults at various sites in Los Angeles County, including but not limited to:
By Steve Lopez
The Street Poets Leadership Training workshop integrates elements of the Pacific Institute's cognitive psychology-based self-development curriculum* with our core creative writing, meditation, drumming and poetry performance exercises. This workshop is designed to prepare our youth and young adults for leadership roles within Street Poets United and our greater creative community, and for life beyond the streets. *Through our affiliation with A Better LA (www.abetterla.com), all of our staff are now trained facilitators of Imagine-21, the Pacific Institute's cognitive psychology-based self-development curriculum available to organizations and individuals serving the South Central Los Angeles community.
The Seeking Peace workshop, founded by Street Poets volunteer Adam Smith in 2001, is a weekly multi-generational meditation and poetry-writing workshop with rotating themes and facilitators. All are welcome. Tuesdays 4-6pm @ the Street Poets office
Street Poets Inc. is committed to building a community that brings together different racial, ethnic and socio-economic segments of the city around the transformational power of the creative process. Toward this end, we host quarterly open-mic poetry events - Community Soul Circles -- for our students, workshop alumni, staff, volunteers, family and friends. These events showcase emerging poetic voices while creating a space in which emotional openness and honesty are not only encouraged, but celebrated. As the gap between rich and poor and different ethnic groups continues to widen in our city, we believe creative communities like ours founded on truths that transcend race, class and creed will become increasingly important.
Street Poets Inc.'s violence prevention-themed poetry performance group, composed of our formerly incarcerated workshop alumni and staff, performs at schools, youth justice & peace conferences and juvenile detention facilities throughout Los Angeles County and beyond. The group's original performance is a riveting celebration of the transformational power of the written word. Since their first show at the Los Angeles Theater Center in 1998, Street Poets United has performed over one hundred times for thousands of at-risk youth and young adults from downtown Los Angeles to Europe.
All of our publications, from our books and anthologies to our Word on the Street community newsletter and Street Sheet, are designed to shine a spotlight on the creative work of the gifted and courageous poets that continue to emerge from our workshops.
If you are interested in making a contribution, please contact Street Poets Inc. at 323-737-8545 or click on the link below.
We also are set up to accept matching gifts from corporations.
Because Street Poets Inc. is tax-exempt 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization, donations are tax-deductible.
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