Workshops

The Sundress Academy for the Arts hosts the Sundress Workshop Series, a series of generative writing workshops emphasizing composition, revision, and creative development. As part of Sundress Publications, the Sundress Workshop Series provide focused and expert instruction to writers of all skill levels. Participants are treated to guidance from advanced instructors who help them to not only hone their craft but also opportunities to create and share new work.

Ghosting the Self: Writing Through What We Avoid

October 14, 2026, 6:00-7:30PM EST

The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present “Ghosting the Self: Writing Through What We Avoid,” a workshop led by Jason Masino on Wednesday, October 14th from 6:00-7:30 PM EST. This event will be held over Zoom. Register for the event here.

Every writer has subjects they circle but never quite touch. Sometimes it’s a memory, a contradiction, an obsession, or a version of themselves that doesn’t fit the story they’re trying to tell. In this generative workshop, we’ll explore the gaps, omissions, and recurring patterns that shape our work from the margins. Through discussion, close reflection, and writing exercises, participants will identify what they tend to avoid on the page and experiment with new approaches to writing through resistance rather than around it. Writers of all genres and experience levels are welcome.

If you would like to support Sundress, you may make a charitable donation here in lieu of a ticket purchase. Your contribution supports our commitment to offering experiences like this to our community at no cost, improving arts accessibility for all.

Jason Masino is a poet and program builder whose work explores identity, belonging, contradiction, and the uneasy process of living with the parts of ourselves we are taught to reject. He holds a BA from the University of California, Davis and an MFA in Creative Writing from Regis University. His work has appeared in publications including Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora and South Florida Poetry Journal. He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net and also works across higher education, public service, and community engagement.

This event is made possible in part by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

The Poet Journalist: Intro to Docupoetics

November 11, 2026, 6:00-7:30PM EST

The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present “The Poet Journalist: Intro to Docupoetics” a workshop led by Mandy Shunnarah on Wednesday, November 11th from 6:00-7:30 PM EST. This event will be held over Zoom. Register for the event today!

Poets are keen observers of the world and are always trying to make sense of what it means to be alive here, now, in this moment. Docupoetics, or documentary poetry, is one way to do that. By letting the latest headlines inspire poems and using journalistic skills––such as interviews, embedded citations, and historical, academic, and archival research––poets bring an urgent voice and a critical eye to the issues of the day. In this workshop, you’ll learn about the history of docupoetics, what poets are drawn to the subgenre and why, and you’ll be guided through a generative writing exercise to pen your own documentary poem.

While there is no fee to participate in this workshop, Mandy has requested that those who are able and appreciative make donations to Sundress! Or folks who to donate to Gaza, could give to The Sameer Project .

Mandy Shunnarah (they/them) is an Appalachian-Palestinian writer in Columbus, Ohio. Their essays, poetry, and short stories have been published in Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Black Warrior Review, and others. Their first book, Midwest Shreds: Skating Through America’s Heartland, was released in 2024, and their second book, We Had Mansions: Poems, was published by Diode Editions in 2025. Read more at mandyshunnarah.com.

This event is made possible in part by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Video Essay & Video Poetry

December 9, 2026, 6:00-7:30PM EST

The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present “Video Essay & Video Poetry,” a workshop led by Emma Sheinbaum on Wednesday, December 9th from 6:00-7:30 PM EST. This event will be held over Zoom. Participants can access the event at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/iCkZjRi1QFi9DCkf3P58iw

his workshop will be an introduction to the video essay / video poetry form, also known as cinepoetry, visual essay/poetry, or literary video. We’ll discuss the opportunities hybridity offers the writer, the reader, and the projects. How can incorporating visual material enhance the intended impact? What questions can help guide you through the video-writing creative process? How can we use literary devices to communicate through this form and create resonance? What new or deeper meaning grows from the interaction between visual language and textual language, sound and silence? We’ll engage with craft essay excerpts about the genre as well as video essays & video poems by Ayesha Raees, Claudia Rankine and John Lucas, Hannah Bonner, grace (ge) gilbert, Sarah Minor, Eloisa Almuezca, and more. Generative prompts will offer time to work with text, found media, your own video clips, and audio. There will also be brief overviews of some free video editing programs.

Emma Sheinbaum writes essays, poems, and multimedia / hybrid forms. She also teaches writing creative nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid workshops. Emma’s work has been published by TILT, Cobra Milk, WE THE SOIL, Voicemail Poems, Barrelhouse Magazine, TriQuarterly, Juked, and The InQueery, among others. She is Co-Founding Editor of the genreless literary journal, A Velvet Giant. Emma enjoys taking walks in gardens and parks, chilling with her cat, and collecting rocks. Learn more at www.emmasheinbaum.com.

This event is made possible in part by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.