Poetics of Silence

What is silence in poetry? From concrete poetry to collage, from cinematic poetry to poems that wrestle with grief, colonial absences, and the invisibility of black and brown people in the American eye–where are silences most potent in literature, and why? In this workshop, we'll be reckoning with the works of artists like John Cage, Susan Howe, Jjjjjerome Ellis, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Solmaz Sharif, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, and m. nourbeSe philip to work at defining and refining silence, and to reflect on how the paradox of silence persists. Through writing exercises that engage with collage, cyanotypes and erasure, we will explore the impossibilities and wonders of blank space, and how it can speak in our own poetry.
Open to poetry writers of all levels. This is a 2-week workshop, with a 2-hour session each week. Please prepare for approximately 4 hours of work, including time for your own writing.
This 2-week workshop meets from 6-8pm at LitArts RI on the following dates:

Thurs, Nov 12
Wed, Nov 18
*Please note this workshop begins on a Thursday and concludes on a Wednesday.

About Your Teaching Artist

Sloan Asakura (she/he/they) is a poet and memoirist from Los Angeles. They have received support from organizations like Periplus Collective, McCormack Writing Center, and Blue Mountain Center. They completed their MFA in Literary Arts at Brown University where they won the 2025 Frances Mason Harris Prize and the 2026 Edwin Honig Memorial Award. They are the winner of the 2024 CRAFT Memoir Excerpt & Essay Contest and 2026 Only Poems Poet of the Year Award. Their work can be found in Joyland, BRINK, The Rumpus, and more.

Community Access Lottery
LitArts RI offers a lottery for free admission to those who are from a community that has faced institutional barriers in the writing and publishing worlds or who lack access to resources and could not otherwise afford to attend. The lottery closes 2 weeks before each workshop, at which time entrants will be notified if they are a recipient of one of the free seats.
To enter the lottery, press the red "Get tickets" button at the top right of your screen, then scroll down to add a "Community Access Lottery Ticket" to your cart and check out.
Funding for LitArts RI’s Community Access Lottery was provided in part by a Community Priority Grant from the Rhode Island Foundation.

Safe and Brave Space Policy

Writing workshops can be vulnerable spaces. As a literary arts organization, LitArts RI is committed to providing a safe, brave, inclusive and accessible space to all participants, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, citizenship status, age, size, abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Be sensitive, be supportive, be respectful and engage with care. Discriminatory, hateful, and threatening content will not be tolerated; we ask that you bring any concerns to our attention immediately.

Accessibility

LitArts RI is wheelchair accessible. The organization is actively committed to cultivating a community that values and reflects diversity, equity and inclusivity and to providing programming that is accessible to all attendees. Please let us know about any accommodations we can make to allow you to participate fully in this event.

Health Safety Guidelines

If you have tested positive for Covid-19 within a few days of attending an event at LitArts RI, please contact Staff so we can let others know of possible exposure. We ask that you wait 14 days or until testing negative to return to the Center.

LitArts RI Refund Policy
All ticket sales are final except in the case of illness or emergency. If you are unable to make an event due to illness or other circumstances outside of your control, LitArts RI will issue a refund for the amount of the ticket (not including Eventbrite fees) as soon as we are notified.
If an event is cancelled at the discretion of the organization, we will issue refunds in the full amount (including Eventbrite fees) to all registrants.