PSNY BIPOC Free Verse Workshop: Letters From Before

A free generative virtual workshop for BIPOC Creatives with poet Marlanda Dekine!

This generative workshop invites BIPOC creatives into a slow, sacred space of breath, memory, and imagination. Through guided visualization, gentle movement, and poetic prompts, participants will explore their internal heritage and connect with the ancestral presences—real or imagined—that shape their voice. Together, we will write from the body, from intuition, and from the deep field of memory that lives beneath language. This workshop creates a container for revelation, restoration, and creative agency, offering a space many people don’t realize they’ve been longing for until they’re in it. This offering is accessible to all mobility levels, and writing experience is not required. If you would rather record yourself speaking instead of writing, this space welcomes you. All that’s needed is openness.

About the instructor: Marlanda Dekine is a poet from Georgetown, South Carolina, and the author of Thresh & Hold, winner of the New Southern Voices Poetry Prize from Hub City Press and praised by The New York Times as a “stirring debut.” She currently serves as the first Poet Laureate of Georgetown County Libraries.

Dekine has received a South Carolina Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship in Spoken Word and Slam Poetry. Her work has been celebrated internationally, including recognition in Gramophone UK for her “intimate and epic perspectives” on American identity in the chamber ensemble performance of Ars Poetica, composed by Douglas Boyce.

Dekine is the founder of Speaking Down Barriers, a nonprofit dedicated to equity and justice, and Dekine Cultural Strategies LLC, a consulting practice that supports communities and organizations through creativity, dialogue, and cultural work. Her poems have appeared in Orion, Poetry, Callaloo, Oxford American, and other publications, and are included in several anthologies, including This Is the Honey, What Things Cost, and Ecological Solidarities. She holds degrees from Furman University (B.A., Psychology), the University of South Carolina (M.S.W.), and Converse University (M.F.A.).

PSNY's Free Verse Workshops are identity-centered, free virtual spaces designed to uplift marginalized creatives. To create a system of equity within our community, participants of all Free Verse Workshops receive a 50% discount code, redeemable on any of our Weekly Virtual Workshops, each Thursday from 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM EST. For more on the program, feel free to visit https://poetrysocietyny.org/free-verse.

Free Verse events are open to attendees of all backgrounds who enter with respect for the focus of the space and PSNY’s code of conduct.

Terms & Conditions

Tickets & Entry

All ticket sales are final. Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable, except in the event of a cancellation by the organizer.

Tickets may be transferred to another guest prior to the event, but each ticket grants admission to one person only.

Admission is subject to venue capacity and compliance with all event policies.

Age Requirement

If this event is listed as 18+ or 21+, as specified on the event page, a valid government-issued photo ID may be required for entry.

No exceptions will be made for underage guests.

Event Format & Content

PSNY events are often immersive experiences and may include adult themes, intimate conversation, and explicit language. By attending, you acknowledge and consent to participation in an immersive environment. No physical contact is required, and guests are always free to opt out of any interaction.

Photography, Video & Recording

Photography, audio recording, and video recording are strictly prohibited, unless explicitly permitted by the organizers.

By attending, you consent to being photographed or filmed by the event organizers for promotional or archival purposes, unless otherwise stated.

Code of Conduct

Guests are expected to behave respectfully toward performers, staff, and fellow attendees.

Harassment, inappropriate behavior, or failure to follow staff instructions may result in immediate removal without refund.

Performers’ boundaries must be respected at all times. PSNY full code of conduct can be found here: https://poetrysocietyny.org/code-of-conduct

Accessibility & Special Needs

Please contact the organizers in advance with any accessibility needs or questions so we can do our best to accommodate you.

Health & Safety

Attendees agree to comply with all venue rules, local regulations, and health and safety guidelines in effect at the time of the event.

The organizers reserve the right to refuse entry or remove any guest whose presence poses a safety risk.

Event Changes or Cancellation

The Poetry Society of New York reserves the right to modify the event format, performers, schedule, or venue as necessary.

In the event of cancellation, ticket holders will be notified and refunds will be issued according to Eventbrite policies.

Assumption of Risk

Attendance is voluntary, and guests assume all risks incidental to participation in a live, immersive event. By attending this event, you agree to hold harmless and indemnify The Poetry Society of New York, Inc. and its affiliates from any claims or liabilities arising from your participation in the event, including but not limited to violations of event policies or harm caused to others.

Mailing List

By registering for this event, you are opting into The Poetry Society of New York’s mailing list and those of its affiliates. You may unsubscribe at any time.