A Fighter Flowers: An Intro to Concrete Poetry with Amber McCrary

Name: A Fighter Flowers: An Intro to Concrete Poetry with Amber McCrary
Start: 2026-04-25T14:00:00-07:00
End: 2026-04-25T15:15:00-07:00
Location: Pima Community College Downtown Campus

Schedule

Sat Apr 25 2026 at 02:00 pm to 03:15 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

Pima Community College Downtown Campus | Tucson, AZ

“A shape poem, or concrete poem, is an arrangement of words on a page into shapes or patterns that reveal an image, such as in a calligram. These visual poems are an artistic blend of the literary and the visual arts. Readers experience a shape poem via its words, typography, and the visual representation of the poem’s subject. In this type of visual poetry, the meaning of the poem is enhanced by the shape of the poem itself, rather than the actual words used.” (Masterclass)
Join us for an engaging workshop where we’ll dive into the world of concrete poetry! We’ll explore the innovative ways that concrete poets have played with language, blending visual, verbal, kinetic, and sonic elements. Through examining various examples, we’ll discover how to create our own shape poems while embracing experimentation. Come ready to unleash your creativity and reshape yourunderstanding of poetry!
All Tucson Poetry Festival events are free and open to the public. Your registration helps us plan a welcoming space for all. Sign up here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/a-fighter-flowers-an-intro-to-concrete-poetry-with-amber-mccrary
Amber McCrary is Diné poet and zinester. She is Red House Clan born for Mexican people. Originally from Shonto, Arizona and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona. She earned her BA from Arizona State University in Political Science with a minor in American Indian Studies. She received her MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry at Mills College. McCrary is also the owner and founder of Abalone Mountain Press, a press dedicated to publishing Indigenous voices. She is a board member of the Northern Arizona Book Festival. She is the AZ Humanities 2022 Rising Star of the year and a Native Arts and Cultures Foundation LIFT awardee. Her debut poetry collection, Blue Corn Tongue: Poems in the Mouth of a Desert is out now from University of Arizona Press. She currently resides on Akimel O’odham lands.