UPCOMING CLASSES & EVENTS
~ 2024 Library Program Calendar ~
Please click the links below to learn more
and reserve your seat!
PAST CLASSES & EVENTS
I am overjoyed & honored to be making my Brooklyn Public Library teaching artist debut on THURSDAY 5/25 from 6 - 7:30pm!
If you live in our near NYC, please check out the program info in the flyer below and CLICK HERE to reserve your seat!
Registration is highly recommended
& greatly appreciated!
Visit the library event pages below to learn more about this
exciting presentation & reserve your seat(s) for FREE!
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Elting Memorial Library
93 Main St. New Paltz, NY 12561
Thursday, April 20th @ 7pm
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Pleasant Valley Free Library
1584 Main St. Pleasant Valley, NY 12569
Thursday, April 27th @ 7pm
~ TUESDAYS IN MARCH! ~
Join me for this exciting debut
ONLINE program!
CLASS DESCRIPTION
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“Poetry comes in a vast array of styles, from plain speech and straightforward to complex or ‘difficult,’ including those that seem straightforward but are in fact complex. Why should we avoid one in favor of another, if any might be capable of touching us? Poetry isn’t here for us to ‘get’ it; it’s here to join us on the journey we call life.”
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- Alice Fogel, Strange Terrain: A Poetry Handbook for the Reluctant Reader
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It’s no secret that when it comes to people engaging with art, poetry often gets a “swipe left” in the face of other creative expressions that seem a bit easier on the mind’s eye, such as music, films, novels, plays, etc. Despite the art form’s emotional and imaginative charms, poems can—and often do—demand a lot from our readerly hearts and minds. How is it that we can feel so perplexed in venturing through one poem yet so at home inside another? Why do we feel double-crossed by one poem’s speaker while another has us at hello with the title alone? The truth is, there is always the opportunity for us to pull back the curtain on any poem’s word-wizardry and humanize our interaction with verse by replacing questions like “What does this poem mean?…Why am I so confused?…Wait, where was I?” with the singular, more experiential driving query: “Can I have a successful relationship with this poem?” The answer to this question may be different for each of us as we get to know any given poem, but our shared capacity to call a poem “friend” relies on how we as curious, open-minded readers approach, understand and engage with the actual words on the page. In this drop-in class, you’ll learn how to arrive at your own conclusions as to whether the poems you read hold the potential to be lifelong companions, casual acquaintances or mental swipes to the left. Each week, this hourlong excursion with verse will offer an insightful exploration of excellent poems, both celebrated and lesser known, and empower you with the critical know-how and daring spirit needed to interpret and enjoy poems of any size, shape, tone or style.
Join us on Monday, December 12, for our final Yawp of the year! Danielle Gasparro, who teaches our popular "Demystifying Poetic Form" drop-in class on Saturday mornings, will lead a generative workshop focusing on the far-reaching value and delicate application of the literary principle: what is most personal is most universal. Through a progressive sequence of highly reflective prompts, participants will draft a deeply personal response poem entitled “Artist Bio,” which will challenge the traditional notion that an artist’s identity and credibility can be adequately rendered through a short inventory of interests and achievements.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13th
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4th
Come hear me read as part of a remarkable lineup of poets
>>> btwn 6 - 7pm! <<<
Learn More!
Friends & NYC Neighbors! This month marks one solar orbit that I’ve had the artistic & personal joy of being a member of the incredible Brooklyn Poets community, by way of taking several of the org’s workshops and reading each month as part of its sensational “Yawp” open mic series. On SATURDAY 7/23, Brooklyn Poets will celebrate not only TEN wonder-whirls around the sun, but—the grand opening of its first brick & mortar venue on—(!!)—Montague St. in historic Brooklyn Heights. Jason Koo, the org’s brilliant founder & maestro of YES, YO! ceremonies is heading up a vibrant all-day affair on SAT 7/23 from 1-9pm.
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I’m elated to note that I’ll be reading some of my poems at the event—in the 6-7pm window—as part of an unprecedented array of blazing poets who will be stepping up to the mic inside each hour. AKA: come for the poetry party vibes & fellowship & Brooklynlove, stay for the 💥 freaking poetry!
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Lastly, as if all that wasn’t good-news enough… I’m honored to announce that I’m going to be teaching an hour-long weekly “drop-in” class with Brooklyn Poets—live at the venue!—on Saturdays at 11am. It’s entitled: “Demystifying Poetry: The Joy of Befriending Verse” and yes. That’s right. Poetry. It IS just for breakfast anymore…! So. Do stay tuned for more info there, and in the meantime, do get excited about joining me to get your poetryoga class groove on!
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Yowsa. So much to cherish & revere. A constellation of congrats & love to Jason Koo & the entire Brooklyn Poets team for this truly phenomenal achievement—and offering to the literary stardusters of NYC!
Friends & lovers of the imaginative pen,
Please join me this spring in New York's beautiful Hudson River Valley, where I'll be partnering
with a host of public libraries to present an
illuminating poetry appreciation workshop:
It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's a Poem!
Demystifying the Poetic Form
I'll also be appearing live at
Adriance Memorial Library on
THURSDAY, APRIL 21st at 7:00pm
as their featured guest for National Poetry Month. I'm honored to appear as part of this wonderful series, and excited to gather in celebration of poetry's uplifting power and unifying grace. I'll be reading a thoughtful selection of my original poems, along with some inspiring favorites.
Scroll down to learn more and register via the partnering library's website.
Reserve your spot today!
ANNOUNCING
Danielle does a superior job of explaining what makes poetry tick while also touching your heart and mind. Her passion is infectious. I have a new appreciation and enthusiasm for poetry, all thanks to her amazing instruction!
- student testimonial
POETRY WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
Do you walk in fear of poetry, yet feel somehow drawn to its charms and long to befriend it, perhaps even waltz right up to its mystifying blaze and invite it inside for a cup of morning brew? If so, this workshop is for you! As Elizabeth Alexander noted, Poetry is the human voice—are we not of interest to each other? Whether a well-crafted line of verse calls us to more openly and compassionately explore what lies before us or deep within us, poetry can seize our hearts, still our minds, and fortify our lives like no other art form.
In this illuminating workshop, you’ll be invited to look beyond the "pageantry" of masterful works and discover the unifying human truths that kindle at every poem’s core. Vibrant, guided discussions, impassioned readings, inspiring video clips, and an interactive examination of craft will empower you with the critical tools and daring spirit needed to greet those intimidating lines of verse that secretly long to be your new best pal.
Spring 2022 Tour Schedule
WEDNESDAY APRIL 13
POETRY WORKSHOP
Pleasant Valley Free Library
6p—8pm
1584 Main St.
Pleasant Valley, NY 12569
WEDNESDAY APRIL 20
POETRY WORKSHOP
Adriance Memorial Library
6:30pm—8:30pm
93 Market Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
THURSDAY APRIL 21
SPECIAL EVENT / LIVE READING
Adriance Memorial Library
7pm—8:30pm
93 Market Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
TUESDAY APRIL 26
POETRY WORKSHOP
East Fishkill Community Library
6pm—8pm
348 Route 376
Hopewell Junction NY 12533
THURSDAY APRIL 28
POETRY WORKSHOP
Elting Memorial Library
6pm—8pm
93 Main Street
New Paltz, New York 12561
MONDAY MAY 16
POETRY WORKSHOP
Kent Public Library
Cancelled due to severe weather.
>>> New date TBA soon <<<
PLEASE CHECK BACK...
17 Sybil’s Crossing
Kent Lakes, NY 10512
THURSDAY JUNE 2nd
POETRY WORKSHOP
Millbrook Public Library
4pm—6pm
3 Friendly Lane, PO Box 286
Millbrook NY 12545
THURSDAY JUNE 9th
POETRY WORKSHOP
Mahopac Public Library
3pm—5pm
668 Route Six
Mahopac, NY 10541
WEDNESDAY JUNE 29th
POETRY WORKSHOP
Morton Memorial Library
6pm—8pm
82 Kelly Street
Rhinecliff, NY 12574
It was such a pleasure to revisit the study of a literary art form without feeling as if I were in a rigid academic setting. Danielle is inspiring!
- student testimonial