The Winter Park Library is a place where one always expects creativity to leap from the shelves into the hands of readers—but there’ll be an enhanced creative vibe within its walls this September.
The library will host a free four-part workshop with poet, writer and educator Tamara J. Madison each Thursday, September 4 to 25, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Capped at 12 attendees, the workshop “is designed to be an intimate, cohort-
style workshop series, with participants collaborating and growing together,” says Director of Education Ruth Edwards.
In the workshop, local writers and visual artists will learn how their ancestors might serve as creative springboards; how to find and apply for artistic retreats and residencies; how to write an artist statement essential for such applications; and how to understand the application process for residencies as an opportunity for professional growth and connection.
Madison, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and an MFA from New England College, is a professor of English and creative writing at Valencia College. Her work has been widely published and reviewed.
She is the author of a short story collection, Collard County; an essay and poetry collection, Kentucky Curdled; and most recently a poetry collection, Threed, This Road Not Damascus. Madison has received an Individual Artist Award from United Arts of Central Florida, which will provide partial funding for the library’s workshop.
This special event is “aimed at helping artists support both their creative and business practices.” Edwards says. “We are intentional about supporting artists in all formats and genres.”
