CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
Creative Writing Workshop with Gregory Pardlo
14-19 May, 2024

Qendra Multimedia (Kosovo) in partnership with Loja (North Macedonia) and ATA Collective (Albania) are happy to announce this open call for participants for the poetry writing workshop with Gregory Pardlo, taking place in the 14th edition of polip festival. The workshop will take place at ODA Theatre in Pristina from May 14 to May 19 and will be concluded with a performance of workshop participants at the closing evening of polip festival. 

We are looking for enthusiastic persons aged between 18-40 from Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, interested in poetry and creative writing. The focus of the workshop will be to tackle the use of clichés in poetry and creative writing. 

Cliché is perhaps the only thing a poem cannot tolerate. Clichés are not just overused phrases. They are also images, ideas, and stories that we often dismiss as “common sense.” If common sense belongs to everyone, then there’s nothing unique or surprising about it.

In this workshop, we will discuss strategies for finding the unique, emotionally raw material buried under the stale language of clichés. We will find language that surprises us and reveals new truths about the way we view the world. Participants should expect to generate new poems through in-class writing exercises and group discussions.

Gregory Pardlo is the author of the poetry collections Spectral Evidence and Digest, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. His other books include Totem, winner of the American Poetry Review/ Honickman Prize and Air Traffic, a memoir in essays. His honors include fellowships from the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation. He is Co-Director of the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice at Rutgers University-Camden, and a visiting professor of creative writing at NYU Abu Dhabi.

Workshop dates
14-19 May, 2024

Who is eligible to apply
Persons aged 18-40 coming from Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia

Qendra Multimedia will cover travel and accommodation expenses for the selected participants from Albania and North Macedonia. All participants will be paid a per diem of EUR 15 per day of the workshop.

How to apply:
For participants from Kosovo: Send a CV and a cover letter at [email protected] under the subject “Creative Writing Workshop”

For participants from Albania: Send a CV and a short cover letter at [email protected]  under the subject “Creative Writing Workshop”

For participants from North Macedonia: Send a CV and a short cover letter at [email protected] under the subject “Creative Writing Workshop”.  

Language:
The main communication language of the workshop will be English. Translation will be provided for those who cannot communicate in English.

Location of the workshop:
Prishtina, Kosovo.

Application Deadline:
30 April, 2024 

This workshop is organized with the financial assistance of Western Balkan Fund. 

Qendra Multimedia in partnership with ATA Collective (Albania) and Loja - Center for Balkan Cooperation.