Dare County Arts Council To Host Former NC Poet Laureate

Posted By Matt Artz on February 10, 2017

Dare County Arts Council is bringing former Poet Laureate of North Carolina Joseph Bathanti back to the Outer Banks for a two-day residency March 10-11.

On Saturday, March 11, Bathanti will teach a writing workshop called Writing The Longer Narrative Poem at Dare County Arts Council in Manteo from 1-4pm.

The workshop is open to all levels of writers, and will focus on writing longer poems that tell stories through utilizing classic conversations of fiction, while still relying heavily on key elements of poetry. Participants will be provided with examples of narrative poems aimed at triggering the narrative impulse.

The cost of the workshop is $45 for DCAC members and $65 for nonmembers. Preregistration is required, so please call Dare County Arts Council to reserve your space at (252) 473-5558 or via email at [email protected].

“We’ll strive to balance the image-charged voltage of poetry with traditionally discursive narrative strategies of fiction and creative nonfiction, focusing on the occasion of the poem, and the dramatic situation that inspired it,” said former Poet Laureate of North Carolina Joseph Bathanti.

Bathanti will start his residency working with Creative Writing, English, and Language students at First Flight High School on Friday, March 10.

“We appreciate Dare County Arts Council’s help in arranging the opportunity for our students to participate a mini-workshop with Joseph Bathanti,” said Susan Sawin from First Flight High School.

In addition to his tenure as Poet Laureate of North Carolina (2012-14), Bathanti is also the recipient of the 2016 North Carolina Award for Literature, the author of ten books of poetry, the winner of numerous literary awards, the Professor of Creative Writing at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and the University’s Watauga Residential College Writer-in-Residence.

“Mr. Bathanti’s residency on the Outer Banks is made possible through a generous grant from the Outer Banks Community Foundation for our Power of Art program for special populations with limited access to arts experiences,” said Dare County Arts Council Executive Director Chris Sawin. Bathanti will visit the Monarch Beach Club in Manteo and other Power of Art partner groups during his visit.

This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.