Application: Community Writers Workshop

D. Colin is a writer, performer, visual artist and educator living in Troy, NY. In 2016, she started and currently curates a weekly poetry/spoken word series called “Poetic Vibe” at Troy Kitchen. (Photo by Robert Cooper Jr.)

COMMUNITY WRITERS WORKSHOP 2019

Poetry with D. Colin

The New York State Writers Institute continues its annual Community Writers Workshop series with a 10-week poetry workshop led by noted poet and teacher D. Colin.

The workshop will meet each Monday evening for 90-minute sessions beginning on April 29 at the Troy Public Library under the direction of Ms. Colin, a Writers Institute Fellow and leader of the Poetic Vibe poetry series at Troy Kitchen.

To apply, submit your materials postmarked by Monday, April 8, or emailed/delivered in person by Thursday, April 11.

Fees and class structure

The NYS Writers Institute offers the Community Writers Workshop at no cost as part of our longstanding commitment to community engagement and ongoing efforts to grow and diversify our audiences.

Whether you write poetry as a hobby, to explore your deepest feelings, or hope to publish your work in literary journals or perform at poetry readings, you are invited to apply to become a student in our poetry workshop.

There is no charge for the workshop, which is geared toward writers whose writing skill level is intermediate to advanced – although all applicants will be considered, including beginning poets.

BEST POET: D. Colin

"The host of Troy Kitchen’s Poetic Vibe is known to many in the Capital Region as 'The Real Deal,' the kind of poet that comes around once every generation.

She’s ranked nationally for her slam poetry, and her book 'Dreaming in Kreyol' is a must-read."

— The Alt, Best of 2018

The workshop will blend the practical with the theoretical. Ms. Colin will lead discussions on the demands, forms and various techniques of writing poetry. Students will read poetry as part of the workshop and will have the opportunity to develop, revise and discuss each other’s poems.

Participants will explore numerous creative strategies for writing poetry during this 10-week, writing-intensive workshop, which will include experimentation with structure, as well as practical suggestions for developing a daily writing practice and discipline. Ms. Colin will also share her own extensive experience as a poetry performer and organizer of poetry readings.

The culmination of the workshop will be a public poetry reading celebrating the work of the students.

Space in the workshop is limited, so please apply as soon as possible.

Dates and location

The workshop is scheduled for 10 Monday evenings from late April to early July (April 29, May 6, 13, 20, June 3, 10, 17, 24, July 1, 8) from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The class will take place at the Troy Public Library—Main Library Large Meeting Space, 2nd floor (100 2nd St, Troy, NY 12180).

Enrollment will be limited to 10-15 students.

Guidelines for Poetry Writing Workshop application submissions

To be considered, submit manuscripts to the Writers Institute according to the guidelines listed below.

All manuscripts must be typewritten.
All submissions must include a separate cover sheet with name, email address, home address, and contact phone number.
Submit a six-page writing sample—one poem per page or individual poems up to six pages in length. Include a brief statement (50–100 words) describing your interest in poetry writing and what you hope to learn by participating in this workshop. To ensure a blind selection process, do not put your name on any of the pages of the writing sample.
Be sure to keep a copy of your work as your manuscript will not be returned to you.
Manuscripts delivered in person or emailed will be accepted up until 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, 2019.
Mailed manuscripts must be postmarked no later than Monday, April 8, 2019.
Notification of acceptance will be sent by Thursday, April 18, 2019. Please do not call regarding the status of your manuscript. We regret that neither Ms. Colin nor the Institute can comment on manuscripts by writers not selected.
If submitting by email, send manuscripts to: jkowalski@albany.edu
If submitting by mail, send manuscripts to:

D. Colin Poetry Writing Workshop

NYS Writers Institute

Science Library 320

University at Albany

1400 Washington Avenue

Albany NY 12222

About poet and teacher D. Colin

D. Colin is a writer, performer, visual artist and educator living in Troy.

As an undergraduate at Southern Connecticut State University, she majored in English with a concentration in African American literature and creative writing. She went on to attain a Masters in Africana Studies and is currently completing her thesis for a Masters in English from University at Albany.

She is the author of Dreaming in Kreyol, a collection of poems and prose paying homage to her Haitian heritage and history, and has been a featured poet at the Nuyorican Poet’s Café, the Boston Museum of Fine Art, and the New York State Writers Institute.

Colin is a VONA Voices alumna, studying with Ruth Forman in 2011 and with Patricia Smith in 2018. She is an Arts Center of the Capital Region and a Breathing Lights grant recipient, and was also the 2016 poet in residence for Voices of Community put on by Sandglass Theater and Next Stage Arts Project in Vermont.

D. Colin introduced author Ibi Zoboi at a NYS Writers Institute event on February 5, 2019. (Photo by Robert Cooper Jr.)

In 2012 and 2018, Colin competed at the National Poetry Slam with Cap City Slam (formerly Nitty Gritty Slam). The team is currently ranked 24th in the country. She has also competed at the Women of the World Poetry Slam and regionally at the QEW Slam, winning first place in 2017, and at the WordxWord Women's Invitational, where she won first place in 2018.

Colin founded and currently curates a weekly poetry/spoken word series called “Poetic Vibe” at Troy Kitchen which was voted “Best Poetry Night” in Best in the Capital Region covered by The Alt. She was also voted 2018’s “Best Poet” in The Alt.

When she’s not working on poetry, she paints and makes Afrocentric bohemian-inspired accessories for her line, Empress Bohemia. She’s also an HEOP Writing Tutor at Siena College and the administrative director for the Albany Social Justice Center. But in her rare spare time, she likes to eat pistachio ice cream, visit used book stores and think of ways to change the world. Web site: www.dcolin.com