Frederick–Douglass Knowles II’s Youth Poetry Workshop: “The Young Poetry of Tupac Shakur”

We are excited to welcome back Frederick-Douglass Knowles II for a second year adding his time and talent to the Hartford Creative Contest. Frederick-Douglass Knowles II, an associate professor of English at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, has been named the first poet laureate of Hartford. His mission as poet laureate is to create an interactive, creative writing campaign designed to amalgamate the literary and performing art of poetry. He has named it #BeatLit, and the intention is to combine the element of active reading with generative creative writing exercises to compose literary and/or performance poetry to improve the competency and confidence of young aspiring writers.

Knowles will be offering two youth creative writing workshops called “The Young Poetry of Tupac Shakur” at The Mark Twain House & Museum on Dec. 26. Grades 4 to 8 can attend from noon to 2 p.m., and grades 9 to 12 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free, and no registration is necessary. The museum is located at 385 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT. (Set your GPS to 385 Farmington Avenue to get to the parking lot.)

Arriving by Bus?

CT Transit buses 60, 62, 64, and 66 connect The Mark Twain House & Museum with downtown Hartford and West Hartford Center. A transit shelter is located adjacent to the museum at the intersection of Farmington Avenue and Woodland Street. The Museum is an 8 minute walk from the Sigourney Street Fastrak station.

These workshops are sponsored by the West End Civic Association (WECA), http://www.hartfordcontest.com/ and The Mark Twain House & Museum.

The Hartford Creative Contest is in its fifth year inviting Hartford youth to submit essays, poetry, or visual art. Submissions will be evaluated for their content, creativity, and originality. Each submission must be original and not previously published. Prizes will be awarded in three different age categories; the prize for best overall submission is $500. The contest is for students in grades 4-12 who are Hartford residents or students attending a Hartford school. Entries are divided by grades 4-6, 7-9, 10-12. The deadline for all submissions is Friday, March 6, 2020, so the December 26 workshops with Knowles are an excellent opportunity to work on a submission. Flyers with further details about the contest and rules are available in most Hartford schools and libraries or by checking the contest web site: HartfordCreativeContest.com.

The Hartford Creative Contest is generously sponsored by The Mark Twain House & Museum, Mothers United Against Violence, and Step Up Step Out (SUSO).