Harwood Literary Arts

Harwood's literary arts program, Sowing Poetry, started in 2000 as a means of organizing a diverse schedule of programming. The programming now includes our own publishing company, Old School Books, an Albuquerque Poetry Festival, WordStream Reading Series, NM Poets' Plaza Magazine, and more!

Follow the links to read more about each of our programs and learn how you can get involved.

Events/Workshops Fall '08

Albuquerque — September 12, 13 and 14

STIR: A Festival of Words gathers an eclectic mix of people, poetry, music, visual arts, film, organizations (yep, including Harwood) and events together for a special weekend celebrating the profound connections between words and the world.

No ordinary poetry festival, STIR mixes things up by showcasing an unexpected range of poetry styles and cutting edge interdisciplinary collaborations. Designed to both celebrate and nourish the New Mexico literary community, STIR uses words as alchemy to promote language that ignites, involves and engages the community.

Join us for readings, workshops, performances, collaborations, conversations, and a special evening with Joy Harjo and the Arrow Dynamics Band.

Click here for more info.
Or check out the STIR blog.

Events/Workshops Spring '08

A Bigger Boat Poetry Brunch

Remember the National Poetry Slam in 2005? What have those organizing folks been doing since then? Well, we’ve been working on a book about it. About NPS 2005 and so much more, that is. Mikaela Renz-Whitmore, Don McIver, Danny Solis and Susan McAllister have spent the last eighteen months gathering poetry and stories about the history of the Albuquerque Poetry Slam Community, about organizing and winning NPS 2005, about our poetry community headed into the future. The result is A Bigger Boat: The Unlikely Success of the Albuquerque Poetry Slam Scene, published by UNM Press and slated for release in April 2008.

Join us at Harwood to celebrate a book about poetry, community and triumph.
Harwood Poets' Plaza
Sunday, April 27, 11:30 am - 1 pm
Free of charge

Word Stream Reading Series presents: Let Me Say This About That

An evening of poetry and film in conjunction with Harwood’s annual National Poetry Month celebration of words and art. The Main Gallery hosts a video installation of the same name by Bryan Konefsky. Local poets Mitch Rayes, Lisa Gill, Hakim Bellamy, and more will be reading from works that inspired the installation. The evening will be augmented by projection-art by members of Basement Films.

Harwood Cafeteria
Friday, April 11th 7 pm — 9 pm
Free of charge

Capturing Nature In Words and Images

A Special Workshop with Lou Liberty and Margy O’Brien

Capturing Nature In Words and Images is a three hour workshop with Lou Liberty and Margy O'Brien, the authors of Bearing Witness: 25 Years of Refuge. Lou and Margy were the writer and the artist in residence at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park during its 25th anniversary year in 2007.

These two master teachers and lovers of Nature will share their secrets regarding observing and recording the natural world and translating experience into nature journaling with images, poetry, and prose. No previous experience is necessary to participate in this workshop. Most materials will be supplied.

Lou Liberty practices mindfulness, writing, and taiko drumming in Albuquerque's North Valley. She is the author of numerous works including prose, poetry and history. Lou is a two time National Endowment for Humanities recipient and a master storyteller. Margy O'Brien considers her sketchbooks the heart and soul of all her artwork. Direct observations recorded on their pages often fuel her studio art, whether executed in watercolor or ceramic tile. With her dual background in art and biology, Margy's artwork reflects a blend of her emotional response to the subject with its accurate representation. She has taught art, created art for natural history museum exhibits, exhibited in galleries and juried exhibitions, and completed public art projects.

Harwood Art Studio
Saturday, March 22, 9 am — Noon $30
Class limit: 20. Call Harwood to reserve a space, or just drop in.

Harwood's literary arts program, Sowing Poetry, started in 2000 as a means of organizing a diverse schedule of programming. The programming now includes our own publishing company, Old School Books, an Albuquerque Poetry Festival, WordStream Reading Series, NM Poets' Plaza Magazine, and more!

Follow the links to read more about each of our programs and learn how you can get involved.