There are several things that drive a writer to pick up a pen.

A lot of the time we are searching for safety, not only to contend with and accept ourselves, but to transform what scares us into art and a sturdy bridge we hope the world will meet us on. In this intimate workshop, poet and playwright Inua Ellams will do just that. Drawing from musicians and poets Chance The Rapper and Jamila Woods, we will find ways to articulate and reinvent our soft curses and weakness into sharp and lyrical weapons.

Inua Ellams is a Nigerian poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist and founder of both The Midnight Run and The Rhythm and Poetry Party (The R.A.P Party). His books include The Actual, The Half-God of Rainfall and Afterhours. His plays include The Barber Shop Chronicles and retellings of The Little Prince and Three Sisters. Presented in partnership with Speaking Volumes and Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University.