{"id":10981,"date":"2024-11-19T17:51:39","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T17:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/?post_type=project&#038;p=10981"},"modified":"2026-03-23T16:55:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T16:55:11","slug":"creative-lab-2024","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/project\/creative-lab-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative Lab 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover aligncenter\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim\"><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-11088\" alt=\"Mohoganny Brown sits smiling with a group of mixed adult poets in a dimly lit room\" src=\"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Creative-Lab.png\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Creative-Lab.png 800w, https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Creative-Lab-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Creative-Lab-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\">Creative Lab 2024<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Creative Lab 2024<\/strong> was a series of workshops, poetry performances and networking opportunities for poets to come together, learn, write and perform. The Lab was led by American poet Mahogany Brown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mahogany is a writer, playwright, &amp; educator. Browne\u2019s books include <em>Vinyl Moon<\/em>, <em>Chlorine Sky<\/em>,&nbsp;<em>Black Girl Magic<\/em>, and the banned books <em>Woke: A Young Poet\u2019s Call to Justice<\/em> and <em>Woke Baby<\/em>. Discover more about Mahogany Brown <a href=\"https:\/\/mobrowne.com\/index.html#\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/mobrowne.com\/index.html#\/\">HERE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mahogany brought her immense poetry skills to the 2024 Creative Lab and helped to inspire the participants to write and perform their own new pieces of poetry. The workshop attendees had just 1 and a half days to write, develop and then perform their new pieces of poetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The results of that creativity can be seen below, take a watch of the Creative Lab cohorts&#8217; performance videos and also read some of the poems written during the Creative Lab 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First and not the last &#8211; adeola yemitan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Spoken Word | Apples and Snakes: Creative Lab 2024 | First and Not the Last by Adeola Yemitan\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qCendmOzLco?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_80c457-7f .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_80c457-7f .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-10981_80c457-7f\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Last funeral &#8211; gayathiri Kamalakanthan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Spoken Word | Apples and Snakes: Creative Lab 2024 | Last Funeral by Gayathiri Kamalakanthan\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vHLFth0SVN4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_2e9066-15 .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_2e9066-15 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-10981_2e9066-15\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">for when you outlive me &#8211; aj king<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Spoken Word | Apples and Snakes: Creative Lab 2024 | For When you Outlive me by AJ King\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XeC8P1K9V8o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_718b3e-fc .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_718b3e-fc .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-10981_718b3e-fc\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You Do Not Have to be the good you &#8211; ifti<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Spoken Word | Apples and Snakes: Creative Lab 2024 | You Do Not Have to Be the good You by Ifti.\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_V3sW2qYwvs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_242757-de .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_242757-de .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-10981_242757-de\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Last Funeral by Gayathiri Kamalakanthan<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I remember our last funeral<br>because of what you told me.<br><br><em>You\u2019ll likely die, grieving.<br>You\u2019ll likely die far sooner or later than you wish.<br>So don\u2019t sit. Don\u2019t wait. Don\u2019t pray.<\/em><br><em>Do what you want.<\/em><br><br>You waited until the music began,<br>then reached into your breast pocket,<br>slipping out a pack of cards.<br><br>You nodded at me from the men\u2019s side.<br><em>Bring your sister. Hurry. Now!<\/em><br>Our only window to escape,<br>while Mum\u2019s eyes stayed closed in prayer.<br><br>Mum said no, but you did it anyway.<br>Smuggled it in beneath your shirt,<br>your comfort blanket, later mine:<br>a book of Modern Bridge Conventions.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_bf4c25-87 .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_bf4c25-87 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-10981_bf4c25-87\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><em>Heirlooms<\/em><\/strong> <strong>&#8211; Cherry Eckel<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>My grandmother&#8217;s house reserves no space for the dead.<br>She has no time for haunting. The day after&nbsp;<br>my grandfather died, she emptied&nbsp;<br>his wardrobe and sat in his spot on the sofa;<br><em>no point in leaving this empty<\/em>,&nbsp;<br>she said. She told me&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>a few months later,&nbsp;<br>sat in that same spot,<br>that she does not trust&nbsp;<br>charming men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I carry this in my back pocket.<br>I pack it in my bag before nights out.<br>I tuck it between sandwiches in Tupperware.<br>I hold its hand when I cross the road.<br>I whisper it to myself at night&nbsp;<br>like a bedtime story.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I press it into the hand of my younger self;<br>bird thing, welly boots, bright pink tights,<br>wrath wrapped in precisely braided plaits.<br>I tell her to hold on,&nbsp;<br>to remember,<br>to not let go.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_798157-69 .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_798157-69 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-10981_798157-69\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;Untitled&#8217; <strong>&#8211;<\/strong> <strong>Eileen Gbagbo<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I arrived when the griot took a vow of silence &#8211;<br>In the distance between hope and silence<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">between beats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I arrived as chaos and stayed&nbsp;<br>Long enough to become a <em>fuck you eulogy<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I lived in the vibrations &#8211;<br>In the counter archive of history<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I came from language born out of my father\u2019s lies,<br>Arrived wearing a tattered dress stitched together by missed calls and blue ticked voicenotes<br><br>I remain in the stampede <em>blackpentecostal<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_c027d5-02 .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-10981_c027d5-02 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-10981_c027d5-02\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do not ask me about dismemberment. Ask me the last time I was whole &#8211; Chloe Clarke<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I know what it\u2019s like to leave my vocal chords&nbsp;<br>on the stairs of a job interview.<br>To string my intestines down onto a zebra crossing&nbsp;<br>as my roadkill body is dragged in front of headlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think I left my hip bone in a doctor&#8217;s office,&nbsp;<br>I did not flinch as he lay me down&nbsp;<br>onto the butcher block.<br>It was just nice to rest my eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A man told me that he&#8217;d rather be dead than me,&nbsp;<br>I wonder if he still has my middle finger in his throat,&nbsp;<br>whether he has had time to digest the consequences of his words?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The air of Hadamar slices me into quarters.&nbsp;<br>I am a headless fish&nbsp;<br>whose tail is yet to forget&nbsp;<br>the stream of my past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I left my eye there,<br>cored it out in the bathroom&nbsp;<br>and placed it in front of the sink mirror.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I do not know anymore&nbsp;<br>what parts of my body I gave&nbsp;<br>and which parts were taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:23% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"555\" src=\"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/US_Flag_with_US_Embassy_text_BW_96dpi-1024x555.jpeg\" alt=\"US Embassy London\" class=\"wp-image-7579 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/US_Flag_with_US_Embassy_text_BW_96dpi-1024x555.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/US_Flag_with_US_Embassy_text_BW_96dpi-300x163.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/US_Flag_with_US_Embassy_text_BW_96dpi-768x416.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/US_Flag_with_US_Embassy_text_BW_96dpi-1536x832.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/US_Flag_with_US_Embassy_text_BW_96dpi.jpeg 2026w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>This event was funded in part by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the author[s] and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Creative Lab 2024 was a series of workshops, poetry performances and networking opportunities for poets to come together, learn, write and perform. The Lab was led by American poet Mahogany Brown. Mahogany is a writer, playwright, &amp; educator. Browne\u2019s books include Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky,&nbsp;Black Girl Magic, and the banned books Woke: A Young Poet\u2019s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":11088,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_surecart_dashboard_logo_width":"180px","_surecart_dashboard_show_logo":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_orders":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_invoices":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_subscriptions":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_downloads":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_billing":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_account":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"disable","_kad_post_title":"hide","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[158,156],"event_location":[],"class_list":["post-10981","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-in-person","tag-past"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"post_tag":[{"value":158,"label":"In Person"},{"value":156,"label":"Past"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Creative-Lab.png",800,600,false],"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/10981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/project"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/10981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11200,"href":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/10981\/revisions\/11200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10981"},{"taxonomy":"event_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event_location?post=10981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}