We invite you to join us for our monthly second Sunday poetry class!

Since 2018, Beyond Academia has offered a monthly poetry class at the Boulder Public Library. Each class includes a mix of discussion questions, writing prompts, and experiential exercises. Every month features a different teacher with a unique lesson plan aligned with BAFS' Curriculum Tracks - Poetic Constructs (poetic forms and techniques) Ontological Engineering (developing one’s own poetic style) Esoteric Practice (mindfulness and contemplative arts) Echo Poetics (environmental and socially informed poetry) Bard Live (performance). In our Socratic seminar-style classes, poetry is the tool through which we dive into deeper inquiries on the relationship between art, language, performance, and cultural movements.

"Birthing Modern Mythology"
ft. Eli Whittington
Language and story have a complicated history, and we word-wielders have a duty to take our calling seriously. In an age of hot takes, lightening-fast gratification, AI "polishing" and mind-numbing media... let's slow down, look at ancient texts, ruminate on what brings stories longevity, and scratch the paper with the intent of birthing the modern mythologies we need to survive these precipitous times.
Teacher Bio:
Eli Whittington was raised on the plains and came of age in the mountains of Colorado. They currently live in Lakewood with their child. They make a modest living doing construction and landscaping, and an immodest life making poetry, art, music and friends. They are an urban gardener, forager, cyclist, martial artist and folk-punk enthusiast. Their first book, Treat Me Like You Treat the Earth, was published in 2019 by Suspect Press.
They have published numerous poems through various zines, anthologies and online journals such as Spit Poet Zine and South Broadway, which will be publishing their forthcoming book: Confessions from the Brink of Ecocide. They have collaborated heavily with Black Market Translation and even stole 2 members of their band for their original project Eli & the Hypotheticals.

Learn more about Beyond Academia on Facebook |  Instagram | Youtube

All Beyond Academia programs are always 100% free to attend!

This event is sponsored by the Boulder County Arts Alliance!