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Poetry at McLeod
In this innovative series, African American poets reclaim the plantation landscape by exploring the past, present, future, and the imagined in their own voices. Often representing pain, suffering, survival, and perseverance, these poets confirm that plantations are places of conscience. One poet recalled, "Reading poems where my ancestors were was a return. On their behalf, I was returning with power. It belongs to them. I would be a part of reclaiming it."
Join Us!
- Poetry at McLeod is free to the first 50 participants, thereafter entry is included with your park admission. No preregistration is required.
- Writing workshops the following day are also free but space is limited so preregistration is required.
- Our COVID-19 protocols
Poetry at McLeod: Yvette Murray, Malachi Jones, Joey Tucker
April 10, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
No registration is required for this event.
Yvette R. Murray, a Charleston native, writes science fiction, children’s books, and poems appearing in Fall Lines, Petigru Review, Catfish Stew, Genesis Science Fiction, and elsewhere. She is a 2019 Pushcart Prize nominee and the 2020 Watering Hole fellow.
Malachi Jones a Charleston native studying Creative Writing at Columbia University received the 2018 Gold Medal Writing Portfolio award, was a 2016 National Student Poets Program finalist, and is published in Rattle’s Young Poets Anthology and USC’s Anthology, Writing South Carolina.
Joey Tucker aka Mr. Enlightenment, of Walterboro has released three chapbooks, Walletz & Pursez, L.I.G.H.T. and A Poet’s Playground and two poetry CDs, Worth My Weight in Watts (2015) and Summer Soulstice (2017). He teaches high school English.
Why We Write: Poetry Workshop with Joey Tucker
April 11, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Have you ever wondered why you write? This question will be posed to the group. We will experiment with different types of poems. Poets will have an opportunity to brainstorm topics, give/receive feedback, and share with poets of all levels of experience.
Preregistration is required. Register online or call Park and Program Services at (843) 795-4386.
Poetry at McLeod: Teri Ellen Cross Davis
May 29, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
No registration is required for this event.
Teri Ellen Cross Davis’s forthcoming a more perfect Union won The Journal/Charles B. Wheeler Poetry Prize; her debut, Haint, (Gival Press, 2016) won the 2017 Ohioana Book Award for Poetry. A Cave Canem fellow, her scholarships include the Sewanee’s Writer Conference and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. Her poems appear in Academy of American Poets, Kenyon Review, Kestrel, PANK, Tin House, and elsewhere.
Tell Me Your Names: Poetry Workshop with Teri Davis
May 30, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
This generative workshop explores family and ancestry through poetry. Using close readings of Etheridge Knight, Rita Dove, Lucille Clifton, and more, we consider how poems can examine, celebrate, and/or reconsider history. Discussions may center around how persona and voice inform written work.
Preregistration is required. Register online or call Park and Program Services at (843) 795-4386.
This series is made possible by the generous support of The Poetry Society of South Carolina, the SC Humanities Council, the Charleston County Public Library, and the Charleston County Parks Foundation.