Fall classes 🍁 🎃 🍂

Dearest ink-shedders,   The day you've all been waiting for has arrived! Fall classes are now open for enrollment. We've got a wide range of class lengths, topics, and price points to choose from, with financial aid and payment plans to keep things inclusive.    To make browsing a little easier, we've created a handy-dandy course catalog. In it, you'll find info about financial aid, student policies, classroom accessibility, and of course, class descriptions and instructor bios. Each class title is linked to the enrollment page, so if you see something you like, just click the title to get started. VIEW COURSE CATALOG Over the next few weeks, we'll highlight individual classes to give you a better sense of what to expect. The first 2 classes kick off in late September and early October — roughly 3 weeks from today! Space is limited, so don't procrastinate. Let the World In: An Observational Poetry Workshop  Starts 9/30 | 9 weeks | Mondays, 6–8 pm ET | Zoom   From historical archives to our grandparents' attics, language is all around us. In this generative 9-week class, we will write and workshop poems that incorporate the found materials of our everyday lives. Through writing prompts, out-of-class exercises, and readings from poets including Aracelis Girmay, James Schuyler, francine j. Harris, Linda Gregg, and Taylor Johnson we will look, listen, eavesdrop, and engage with archival materials in order to jostle our poetic imaginations and expand our understandings of what might live in a poem.   Instructor: Philipe AbiYouness is a Lebanese-American poet and teaching artist from New Jersey. His work has been published in New England Review, Mizna, Gulf Coast, Pigeon Pages, Muzzle, and the anthologies "Best of the Net 2020" published by Sundress Publications and "We Call to the Eye & the Night: Love Poems by Writers of Arab Descent." He is graduate of the MFA in Creative Writing at Rutgers University, Newark and has received support and fellowships from Vermont Studio Center, Brooklyn Poets, and Bread Loaf Writers Conference.   Short-Form Satire  Starts 10/1 | 3 weeks | Tuesdays, 6–8 pm ET | Zoom   In this 3-week class, you'll learn the key elements of writing brief humor pieces suited for McSweeney's and other publications in the expanding humor-writing market. Students will generate new work, contribute to a writers-room atmosphere, and collaborate on articles. No humor-writing experience necessary, though some experience writing other genres is a plus.   Instructor: Jeff Bender is a fiction and comedy writer whose work has appeared in McSweeney's Internet Tendency, The Hard Times, Electric Literature, Fence, Guernica, and The Iowa Review. In 2023 he co-wrote McSweeney's 8th most-read article. He is a staff writer for the sports-satire brand Sports Riot. FINANCIAL AID, ETC. All of our fall classes are eligible for financial aid. If you're based in the greater Philadelphia area and low-income, you could save up to 75% on listed tuition prices. Applying for aid is quick and minimally invasive.  FINANCIAL AID Need more time to pay for your class? Our payment plans are simpler than ever. Just select Afterpay during checkout to break the cost of your tuition into smaller, more manageable installments — even if you don't qualify for financial aid. Not eligible for Afterpay? Reach out to info@bluestoop.org to request an alternative arrangement. IT TAKES TWO, BABY One more thing: We are so close to our $10,000 fundraising milestone I can almost taste it. For the record, I do not recommend tasting your keyboard — blech!    Anyway, we need just $50 more to hit our goal — let's call it 2 donations of $25. Do you have wiggle room in your budget this month? If so, click the link below to get started. Thank you for supporting local writers! DONATE TODAY   In solidarity,   Julian Shendelman Co-Director   P.S. Looking for literary fun this week? Be sure to check out our community calendar and resource pages. ON THE STOOP Thursday, 9/12, 4:00-6:00pm ET: Creative Coworking. Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom. Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life. Free and open to all. Rolling submissions: We are seeking proposals for Thursdays on the Stoop, a longstanding series of free, virtual workshops for and by our community. Topics range from poetic forms to journaling prompts, performance skills, and more. No formal teaching experience required! We'll start booking these workshops on a rolling basis over the next few weeks, so get your applications in as soon as possible for the best chance at selection. CLASSIFIEDS Advertise with us: Got an event, organization, business, or book to promote? Blue Stoop is now offering affordable ad space here and on our website. Barter is also available on a case-by-case basis. BEYOND THE STOOP   Here's a quick excerpt from our community calendar. If you've got an upcoming literary event, we invite you to add it to the page. It's free! ~~~~~~~~~~   Event title Mad Poets Bonfire   Start time 9/14/2024 4:00pm    Location Ridley Creek State Park, 1023 Sycamore Mills Rd, Media, PA 19063   Description The Mad Poets Society presents the  annual Mad Poets Bonfire. This longstanding Mad Poets tradition is a celebration of poetry and community that takes place around a roaring fire. Setup begins around 4 PM, and the event goes into the night. Though you do not have to stay over, there is camping available for those of you who wish to, so if interested bring your tents and gear!   At about 5, we will have a generative writing activity for anyone interested. Then, as the sun goes down, we’ll light the fire and gather around to share our poetry. Musicians welcome. Light snacks will be provided, but feel free to bring your own as well. Absolutely no alcohol. Please be advised that this is not an event for children.   Link https://www.madpoetssociety.com/events/2024/9/14/mad-poets-bonfire   Contact info https://www.madpoetssociety.com/   Cost Event is free, please bring your tents and gear if camping, and any snacks you may want!    ~~~~~~~~~~   Event title Palette & Poetry    Start time 9/14/2024 6:00pm   Location 954 North 8th Street Philadelphia, PA 19123   Description Palette and Poetry is an unique mobile pop-up that transforms gallery spaces into a creative haven for artists and art lovers. When you visit a P&P Day Party or night exhibit you will experience artworks from local visual artists, makers, and hear poetry readings from raw artists and writers. Check the button below for events near you! You won't want to miss out on this one of a kind opportunity to explore new artwork and meet the creators behind them.   The stage is set! Join us for Palette&Poetry in September. Our artists are uniting to create an amazing experience for the community! Step out to enjoy Visual Arts, Drinks, Live Performances by Local DJs and Poets!   A little more about us : Palette&Poetry is a welcoming environment that connects the creator to the enthusiast! A place that artists can reach new audiences & an unique space to create lasting memories through music poetry and art.   Tickets will only be honored through EVENTBRITE   Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/palette-poetry-philly-art-pop-up-tickets-972234087327?aff=oddtdtcreator   Contact info @unitedundergrounds   Cost $7.50 - $35 (plus Eventbrite fees)   ~~~~~~~~~~   Event title Wild Indigo Poetry Series Launch Featuring Denice Frohman and Gabriel Ramirez   Start time 9/15/2024 5:00pm   Location Young American Hard Cider and Tasting Room, 6350 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144   Description Join us for the launch of a new monthly series, Wild Indigo Poetry, featuring Denice Frohman and Gabriel Ramirez! Sarah Browning and Raina León are co-curators and co-hosts. Bring your poem to read on the open mic!   Wild Indigo will take place every third Sunday of the month, 5-7 pm, in person at Young American Cider, 6350 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia. The series will be free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $5. See below for poets' bios and featured poets for the months ahead, including Sonia Sanchez in October!   Co-sponsoring Wild Indigo is the progressive organization Reclaim Philadelphia and, for the first two months, Acentos Review, with support from the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC). The venue is wheelchair accessible.   Denice Frohman is a poet and performer from New York City. She has received support from The Pew Center for the Arts, Baldwin for the Arts, CantoMundo, Headlands Center for the Arts, NALAC, and the National Endowment for the Arts. A former Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, she has featured on hundreds of stages from The Apollo to The White House. Currently, Frohman is developing her one-woman show, Esto No Tiene Nombre, which centers the oral histories of Latina lesbian elders.   Gabriel Ramirez is a Queer Afro-Caribbean poet, activist, and teaching artist. A 2023 Gregory Djanikian Scholar in Poetry at Adroit Journal, Gabriel has received fellowships from Palm Beach Poetry Festival, The Watering Hole, Miami Book Fair, CantoMundo, and Callaloo. Gabriel’s electrifying writing and performance are catalysts towards healing and brings awareness to mental health, Afro-Latinidad, the African Diaspora, self-care, masculinity, and social change.   Link https://www.facebook.com/events/1237449483915925/   Contact info sarahbrowningwriter@yahoo.com   Cost Free with $5 suggested donation   ~~~~~~~~~~   Event title YA Novelist Candace Iloh   Start time 9/16/2024 6:00pm   Location Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104   Description Candice Iloh is the award-winning author of young adult novels, Every Body Looking, Break This House, Salt the Water. A 2020 National Book Award Finalist and 2021 Printz Honoree, iloh is a first-generation Nigerian-American writer whose books center home. In 2018, they were awarded a Critical Breaks residency with Hi-ARTS to develop and perform a one-night-only stage production of ADA: On Stage, a multi-media one-person-show, introducing the audience to in-progress themes of their now critically-acclaimed debut novel. They are a proud alum of the Rhode Island Writers Colony and their work has earned fellowships from Lambda Literary, VONA, Kimbilio Fiction and, most recently, The PEW Center for Arts & Heritage for 2023-2025. iloh is a former high school creative writing teacher who has previously taught young people of every age, from pre-K through high school. Their debut picture book, EMEKA: EAT EGUSI! will be published by Simon & Schuster in 2026.   Link https://writing.upenn.edu/wh/calendar/0924.php#16   Contact info wh@writing.upenn.edu   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~~   Event title Free Library of Philadelphia Monday Poets 30th Anniversary Season   Start time 9/16/2024 6:00pm   Location Parkway Central, 1901 Vine St, Skyline Room   Description Join the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Literature Department in celebrating the 30th Anniversary season of Monday Poets. This year’s theme is Sankofa (SAHN-koh-fah), a Twi word from the Akan Tribe of Ghana which loosely implies that to move forward, one must “go back and get it”. In that spirit we will be celebrating at each event a past Monday Poet and introduce a new one. Each month from September 2024 to April 2025 a new Sankofa pair will read at a new library. Monday Poets exists to inspire and connect poets and community members across the city of Philadelphia.   This program will take place in the Skyline Room on the 4th Floor of Parkway Central and is free and open to the public. The event will be led by Philadelphia's current Poet Laureate, Kai Davis.    Previous Monday Poet: Michele Belluomini Michele Belluomini’s poetry has been published in many print and online journals, and in various anthologies. Her chapbook, Crazy Mary & Others was a winner in the first Plan B Press competition. Her most recent volume of poetry is Signposts for Sleep Walkers. She was one of the winners of the 12th Annual John and Rose Petracca & Family Award for her poem, "La Befana." She works as Adjunct Library Faculty at Community College of Philadelphia.   New Monday Poet: Raina J. León Raina J. León, PhD is Black, Afro-Boricua, and from Philadelphia (Lenni Lenape ancestral lands). She is the author of black god mother this body, Canticle of Idols, Boogeyman Dawn,sombra : (dis)locate, and the chapbooks, profeta without refuge and Areyto to Atabey: Essays on the Mother(ing) Self. She is a founding editor of The Acentos Review, an online quarterly, international journal devoted to the promotion and publication of Latinx arts. She currently supports poets and writers as faculty at the Stonecoast MFA at the University of Southern Maine.   Link https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/141066   Contact info 215.686.5402   Cost Free WANT MORE LOCAL EVENTS? COMMUNITY CALENDAR 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences