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Introduction
“I came to ASCNYC’s Creative Writing Workshop losing air, losing my voice, losing my soul buried in an emotional turbulent grave. I sat quietly and the class began. I felt like a weed in a rose garden, but by the end of the first session, I realized this was no garden, it was an orchestra…an orchestra of various stories. As the weeks went by, with every poem I read, every person I met, and every word I wrote, I felt like a shovel of dirt was removed from my grave. Finally, I saw a beam of light…and as I continued creative writing, the light got brighter, my soul got stronger, my voice got louder, and now I am radiant.”
—Azeem S. Khan, ASCNYC Poetry Leader
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For 15 years, ASCNYC’s Creative Writing Workshop has been a place of creative radiance. Every Thursday, we use poetry as a tool to discover and express important parts of ourselves that are often hidden or overlooked. It’s a pleasure to share these explorations with you.
As with all things, our workshop has changed over time. Ten years ago, ASCNYC received a grant from the Phil Zwickler Charitable and Memorial Trust to launch a Poetry Leadership Program in which longstanding, consistent workshop participants would be trained to lead some of the classes. This approach aligns with ASCNYC’s commitment to peer leadership, mentoring, and skills development.
The Poetry Leadership Program has flourished. With continued support from the Zwickler Foundation, we’ve trained numerous Poetry Leaders and have incrementally increased the responsibility these leaders take in running the group. In 2014, following my move to the Northern Catskills, the ASCNYC Poetry Leaders assumed full responsibility for running the workshop every week, shifting the operation to a peer-run endeavor in partnership with ASCNYC’s dedicated staff.
Having had the honor of facilitating the ASCNYC Creative Writing Workshop since its inception, I can’t think of a better outcome. And I couldn’t be prouder of the phenomenal poets in this issue of Situations, our wonderful Poetry Leaders, and everyone at ASCNYC and beyond, who has contributed to making this workshop so special.
Thank you for your continued support!
