Inspired by Audre Lorde’s Black Women Poetry seminar which she delivered in Berlin 1984, this workshop explores poetry as a site of radical knowledge, self-definition, and resistance against racism. Lorde insisted that poetry is „not a luxury“ but a means of survival, shaping how we understand ourselves and build solidarities across differences. Born in New York City in 1934, Lorde would often describe herself as a “warrior-poet,” “black lesbian feminist, socialist [and] mother of two.” She published several books including an autobiography and many poetry collections by the time she is invited for a professorship at the Free University of Berlin which she accepts and starts in 1984. Drawing from Audre Lorde’s work as a black woman migrant in Berlin, this workshop will engage participants in an active, participatory process that centers feeling, self-exploration, and collective meaning-making. Through guided writing exercises, discussion, and embodied reflection, participants will examine how poetry functions as both a historical archive and a tool for reimagining the future.
Facilitator: Jessica Nogueira Varela
Format: Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)
Target Audience: Scholars, artists, activists, and community members interested in Black feminist thought, poetry, and radical pedagogy.