GREENVILLE —Kathleen Nalley, poet and lecturer of literature and writing at Clemson University, will host the second free poetry workshop of the summer on August 10 in Greenville. The workshop, entitled “Our Place in the South,” will be 6–8 p.m. at the Center for Visual Arts–Greenville (CVA-G) in the Village of West Greenville, 1278 Pendleton St, Greenville, S.C. The community is invited to explore their creativity and express thoughts through poetry.
The workshop will pair with the current exhibit at the CVA–G, “West Greenville in Print.” This exhibit showcases print work of drawings created by West Greenville residents. Each print uniquely shows what the Village of West Greenville means to each respective artist. “Our Place in the South” offers an opportunity to do the same through the written word.
This particular workshop focuses on the arts and community engagement in Greenville’s west side neighborhoods. Nalley will lead participants in contemplating the notion of place through the medium of poetry. Questions like, “What is place?” “What makes place significant?” and “Does place define identity?” will be explored. Additionally, workshop attendees will discuss the role of place in work by renowned authors such as Nikky Finney, Ray McManus, Natasha Trethewey, and Ron Rash, among others. Other workshop elements will include an interactive and collaborative poetry-writing activity. Participants will begin to write their own poems that focus on how Greenville has contributed to their own notion of place, and how their views shape perceptions of Southern identity and culture.
Images and poems can be viewed until Aug. 28 in the Center for Visual Arts-Greenville satellite facility in the Village of West Greenville, 1278 Pendleton St. The center is open 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays.
The workshops and exhibit are free and open to the public because of donations from supporters and gifts given by Richard and Gwen Heusel, the Community Foundation of Greenville and The Graham Foundation.
For more information regarding the exhibits at the Clemson University Center for Visual Arts-Greenville (CVA-G), contact Kara Blanken Soper at kblank2@clemson.edu.
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Kathleen Nalley
Kathleen Nalley is the author of Nesting Doll (winner of the S.C. Poetry Initiative Prize), andAmerican Sycamore (Finishing Line Press). Her poetry has recently appeared in Night Block,The Bitter Southerner, Melancholy Hyperbole, and Night Owl, as well as in the Kakalak 2014 Anthology. She holds an MFA from Converse College, is a frequent contributor to Town andedible Upcountry magazines, and teaches literature and writing at Clemson University.
The Center for Visual Arts
The Center for Visual Arts (CVA) at Clemson University is where students, visitors and scholars explore contemporary perspectives in art and culture through research, outreach programming and studio practice. With a mission to engage and render visible the creative process, the CVA is a dynamic intellectual and physical environment where art is created, exhibited and interpreted. It educates through academic research and practice with art at its core, drawing upon varied disciplines to examine critically cultural issues and artistic concerns. The Center for Visual Arts-Greenville (CVA-G) is a satellite of the Center for Visual Arts at Clemson University, which serves as the umbrella for all visual art activities at the university. Though there is not a physical building for this center, the majority of the activities for the Center of Visual Arts are generated out of Lee Hall on the Clemson University campus. For more information, visit clemson.edu/cva.