Join us for "We Are Telling Our Stories" (WATOS), a FREE 4-week (June 3 - June 27, 2024), community-focused, writing/poetry/performance residency for all local youth ages 15-22, with a special invitation to Latinx, BIPOC, and immigrant/refugee youth.
Dr. David Gonzalez, a celebrated NYC-based poet, storyteller, playwright, and musician, is this year's artist-in-residence. David is a Joseph Campbell Foundation Fellow and the recipient of the International Performing Arts for Youth “Lifetime Achievement Award for Sustained Excellence." His writing has also been featured at Lincoln Center’s "Out-of-Doors Festival," Bill Moyers’s documentary "Fooling with Words," and NPR’s "All Things Considered."
David will be joined by award-winning local poets and writers Dr. Masha Shukovich and J.R. Martinez to help you dive deep into your own stories, connect to what you care about in the world, and receive guidance on how to share and amplify your creative gifts. In this unique program, you will draw upon your lives and imaginations; discover messages and meanings embedded in your narratives; and shape and share your stories through a range of performances that use voice, song/music, props, movement, and theatrical tools. The residency will culminate in a performance developed through the braiding of individual and collective voices on Wednesday,, June 26, 2024.
All residency meetings and the final performance will take place at West Valley Performing Arts Center in West Valley City.
We provide:
- $200 stipend,
- up to 3 University of Utah Elective Credits,
- an opportunity to have your writing published in the "We Are Telling Our Stories" 2024 chapbook (a part of the SLCC annual publication series), and
- daily snacks.
This residency is for you if:
- You are a high school or early college student (15-22 y/o),
- You want to write and experience written and spoken word poetry,
- You care about the world around you and your creative life,
- You want to do something meaningful with your time this summer,
- You are available to meet 4 times a week (Mon-Thurs) from 2:00pm to 4:00pm, June 3 - June 27, 2024.
*Please note: There is NO COST to participate in the WATOS residency, but there is an expectation to be present for all the residency sessions. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis, so please indicate any expected absences in the application form below. The $200 stipend, course credits, and the completion certificate will be provided upon the completion of the program.
DEADLINE TO APPLY is midnight (MST) on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Continue to see more details and apply ASAP!
Presented by the Center for Documentary Expression and Art, University Neighborhood Partners, West Valley Performing Arts, and SLCC Community Writing Center.
Supported by the National Endowment for the Arts; Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks Program; Salt Lake City Arts Council; the Utah Division of Arts and Museums; and XMission.
