Lighten Up: Humor and Wit in Poetry, A Workshop with Luivette Resto

The assumption is that poetry is filled with melancholy and morosity. However, poetry is not monolithic just like the poets who write it. Poetry can be political and funny. It can be witty and sad. It can honor our ancestors while making us smile. Humor has a place in poetics, and this workshop will examine some of the best examples of it from poets such as Martín Espada, Dorothy Parker, Nikki Giovanni, to name a few. The workshop will be led by Luivette Resto.

Luivette Resto is an award-winning poet, a mother of three revolutionary humans, and a middle school English teacher. She was born in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico but proudly raised in the Bronx. She is a CantoMundo and Macondo Fellow and a Pushcart Prize nominee. She has three books of poetry Unfinished Portrait, Ascension, and Living on Islands Not Found on Maps. Her work has been mentioned in the LA Times, Ms. Magazine, and North American Review. She is the associate editor of Tía Chucha Press, and she sits on the boards for Women Who Submit and Beyond Baroque.

Masks are encouraged while inside our center.

One scholarship will be awarded to a QTPOC/BIPOC L.A.-residing individual who would like to join but does not have the means to do so. Please email us if interested at [email protected].

Workshop attendees are expected to participate in a respectful, constructive, and considerate manner. Beyond Baroque reserves the right to remove individuals from our workshops, virtual or otherwise, if they are not respecting the space, fellow participants, or facilitator.

Host or Publisher Beyond Baroque Literary | Arts Center