Dallas Slam Featured Reader Series
WordSpace Non-Board Programming Committee Member RockBaby, award winning poet, teacher, HBO Def Jam poet and Host of the Dallas Poetry Slam Slam curates a monthly Dallas Slam Featured Reader Series for WordSpace.
Special Events at Paperbacks Plus
WordSpace is proud to recognize Paperbacks Plus among our original collaborators, friends and supporters. They’ve been enigmatic open doors to poets, artists, and musicians for over 30 years. Special Thanks to John Tilton and Marquetta Herring. To further investigate Paperbacks Plus, check out their website, www.luckydogbooks.com or go by and visit their store at 6115 in Old East Dallas.
Members Salons
Held in private homes throughout the year, these private, members-only events allow Wordspace supporters to meet local and national writers and artists in an intimate setting for conversation, readings and panel discussions. Our hosts are located in all areas of the city: From Downtown and Lakewood to Oak Cliff and South Dallas, from Oak Lawn to North Dallas.
Reading Series @ The Kessler X+ Art Gallery
Held in partnership with The Kessler Theater. Special Thanks to our friends at this newly renovated music/arts center–Owner, Edwin Cabiniss and Artistic Director, Jeffrey Liles. This series mixes and maximizing our presentation of exciting emerging and experienced voices with our innovative web cam technology use of ICHAT/Skype to broadcast and inter-connect with writers from around the world. The events are held 2nd Wednesdays, as part of The Kessler’s Residency Nights of music. Begin the evening with Community Happy Hour, join us upstairs for the readings and check out their website to see who will be performing those nights! www.thekessler.org
Please see above for the latest listings.
Northwood Literary Festival
WordSpace proudly co-sponsors this dynamic gathering of poets and fiction writers that takes place on the campus of Northwood University every fall. and is curated by Board Member and Northwood University’s Assistant Professor of English Dr. Martha Heimberg.
Lambert Commons on the Northwood University’s 400-acre campus, located at 1114 West FM 1382, Cedar Hill Texas - about 25 minutes from downtown Dallas, just off Highway 67 South — the Joe Pool Lake exit.
Southwest Shootout Regional Poetry Slam Competition
The Southwest Shootout is a regional poetry competition held every year in a different city in the Southwestern United States, ranging from Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Teams of poets compete against each other in a 4 round preliminary bout. The top four teams move on to the Final Poetry Slam on the 12th. Over the past 7 years, these teams have consistently placed in the finals at the National Poetry Slam. A number of Russell Simmon’s HBO “Def Poetry Jam” poets will be participate in this competition..
Next On Deck at Paperbacks Plus
Each year we feature the best in area college student work curated by our Board members who work in Education at Paperbacks Plus. Paperbacks Plus co-owners John Tilton and Marquetta Herring have been an open door to the arts, music and literary community for over 30 years, are a de-facto Old East Dallas Community Center They often host additional Special and/or Booksigning Events for WordSpace. Check out their website at www.luckydogbooks.com for more information on this historic independently-owned book store.
Conspiracy at Paperbacks Plus
We also offer a focus on the work of area High School students. They bring with them not only the enrichment of their dedicated teachers, but often the most innovative and interdisciplinary collaborations of writing in this promising preview of the future. For more information on our friends at Paperbacks Plus at 6115 La Vista in Old East Dallas, www.luckydogbooks.com
Writing Workshops
On occasion visiting writers with a national profile will hold small, one-day classes usually focusing on both aspects of the writing craft and on the business of writing. Past instructors have included the novelists James Kelman, Janice Galloway, Ben Fountain and David Searcy. Students submitted manuscripts up to twenty pages in length for reading/comment by instructors, and all manuscripts were discussed and analyzed in class. Instructors led discussions on the business of fiction from getting an agent to selling books. Please see our above for upcoming offerings.
