Monica Prince teaches activist and performance writing and serves as Director of Africana Studies at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. She is the author of Roadmap: A Choreopoem, How to Exterminate the Black Woman: A Choreopoem, Instructions for Temporary Survival, and Letters from the Other Woman, and the co-author of the suffrage play, Pageant of Agitating Women, with Anna Andes. Her work appears in Wildness, The Missouri Review, The Texas Review, The Rumpus, MadCap Review, American Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. As one of the foremost choreopoem scholars, Prince writes, teaches, and performs choreopoems across the nation.
Under These Circumstances:
A Choreopoem Workshop with Monica Prince
Begins 4/19/25
Coined by Ntozake Shange in 1975 with her award-winning production, For colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, the choreopoem continues to operate as a space for creativity, collaboration, and community. This form, that combines, poetry, music, art, dance, yoga, burlesque, and other performance media, acts as a social justice mechanism to bring secrets to the surface about racism, sexism, assault, homophobia/transphobia, ableism, and other oppressive acts and institutions. Originally a Black femme form, the choreopoem lives on in the grandchildren of the Shange legacy, using their bodies and poems to exorcise inherited demons in hopes of breaking the cycles of generational trauma and historical abuse. Under the current circumstances of the world--ravaged by war, poverty, genocide, greed, rape, climate collapse, slavery, and other atrocities--the choreopoem is an option to highlight existential angst and lived experiences to call people to action.
In this workshop, Monica Prince, choreopoem scholar and creator, will lead participants through a series of exercises to write their own choreopoems. In addition to learning the choreopoem's historical context and contemporary uses, participants will discover principles of Black theatre, performance theory, and poetic forms to inform their work. At the end of the workshop, participants will hold virtual staged readings of their choreopoem drafts for feedback and celebration. This workshop is open to all writers at any level, especially those committed to social justice and equity for all, and performance experience is encouraged but not required. Writers are encouraged to bring their own source material (i.e., a chapbook of poems or prose, short stories, personal essays, play scripts, interviews, a manuscript of poems, etc.) or use the prompts provided to generate new content.
WHEN and HOW: This collaboration will run for six weeks meeting weekly on Zoom.
DATES: Six Saturdays beginning 4/19 at 1pm EST/10am PST.
4/19, 4/26, 5/3, (no class 5/10), 5/17, 5/24, 5/31
ACCESS: We are dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices and empowering stories that truly reflect the diversity of our world. To uplift those most impacted by dominant culture, this course is held for folx identifying as BIPOC only with the goal of holding a safe space.
Cost: $300-500 (sliding scale—please read below)
Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Suggested Cost:
To create intentional space and support for BIPOC attendees, we ask that you pay in light of your financial privileges and with a JEDI spirit (!)
Here are a few guidelines:
$500 – you have reliable sources of food, shelter, and transportation; are employed or financially secure; have regular access to healthcare and savings; can spend recreationally at your discretion (e.g. enjoy a concert, new clothes, a great meal). Paying the full amount also means you are able to support a BIPOC with limited resources who would like to join this course.
$400– you have debt that sometimes compromises stability with food, shelter, and/or transportation; are employed; have some access to healthcare and savings; can spend recreationally.
$300 – you are under- or unemployed and/or for other reasons (e.g. healthcare, shelter expenses), you have very limited resources.
Contact us if you cannot afford to pay full price but would like to discuss payment plans, work-exchange/trade opportunities, or other options.