Teen Writers and Artists Project to be featured at Waterline Writers
Waterline Writers will feature storyteller Kimberly Gotches and showcase many of the writers in the Teen Writers and Artists Project, plus director Diana Zwinak and teaching artists Adam Gottlieb, Corey Dillard and Shayne Morgan Phillips, at the next event at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18. It is held at Water Street Studios, 160 S. Water St. in downtown Batavia.
T-WAAP (TEE-wop) is hard at work right here in the western suburbs. In addition to "3 Wordplay" writing workshops, open mics, and featured performers monthly, they offer school assemblies, mentor poetry teams, and host the annual spoken word poetry competition, "Slammin' the Sun Down," a preliminary event for poets preparing for Chicago's famous "Louder Than A Bomb" competitions in February and March. Watch the T-WAAP video for a look at what they are up to!
T-WAAP is poised to make its programs available to many more teens in the next few years. To learn more about the organization based in Elgin, visit www.twaap.org or follow www.facebook.com/TeenWritersAndArtists/ or twitter.com/twaap.
Get a front-row-seat experience and a look behind-the-scenes as young poets hone their craft, reveal their fears and heartaches, and share their insights, energy and enthusiasm.
Admission is $5 or $3 for students. There will be no open mic Dec. 18. Visit waterlinewriters.org.
They will be offering craft beer from Solemn Oath Breweries for $5, wine from Bright Angel Wines for $5 and food from Gaetano's Market.
Adam Gottlieb is a poet/emcee, teaching artist, musician, and activist from Chicago. He got into spoken word in high school through the Louder Than A Bomb poetry festival, and was featured in the 2009 Siskel Jacobs documentary by the same name. His mission became bringing poetry into educational settings, and using spoken word as a tool for self expression, community building, youth empowerment, and social justice. A Hampshire College graduate, he studied poetry and critical pedagogy. He currently serves as Teen Writers and Artists' writer in residence, regularly running workshops and open mics as part of the West Suburban Wordplay program.
Corey Dillard has a passion for all things creative, original and strange. A writer for many years with accomplishments in both fiction and poetry, he loves nothing more than expressing himself through written or spoken word. He aims to use his talent and energy to engage as many as he can in the beauty of art. He is also the director of Lit Lab 51 and teaches workshops with the writer-in-residence, along with hosting West Suburban Wordplays.