The Lab

2026 Summer Poetry Workshop Series — five weekly workshop sessions led by the Omari Hardwick bluapple Poetry Network for students in grades K–12 and the wider community.

Session 1: Finding Your Voice: Writing from Truth Every great poem begins with honesty. In our opening workshop, you'll explore how your own experiences, opinions, and observations can become powerful poetry. Through writing prompts, discussion, and examples from contemporary spoken word artists, you'll begin discovering the unique voice that only you can bring to the page. Whether you've been writing for years or are just getting started, this workshop will help you find confidence in telling your story.

Session 2: The Art of the Unexpected: Metaphor & Extended Metaphor Learn how poets transform ordinary ideas into unforgettable images. This workshop focuses on using metaphor and symbolism to add depth, creativity, and emotional impact to your writing. You'll experiment with comparing ideas in fresh ways, creating poems that invite readers to see familiar experiences from a completely new perspective.

Session 3: Small Things, Big Meanings: Object & Persona Poems What story could your favorite hoodie tell? What would a bus stop say if it could speak? In this workshop, you'll write from the perspective of everyday objects and unexpected voices, discovering how imagination and empathy can create some of the most memorable poetry. You'll learn to find extraordinary meaning in ordinary things while stretching your creativity in new directions.

Session 4: Finding the Heart of the Poem: Emotion & Revision Great poems aren't just written, they're rewritten. This workshop is all about revision with purpose. You'll learn how to identify the emotional core of a poem, strengthen your imagery, sharpen your language, and revise with intention. By the end of the session, you'll have a stronger understanding of how thoughtful revision can transform a good draft into a powerful piece of writing.

Session 5: The Power of Line Breaks & Form Sometimes the way a poem looks on the page is just as important as the words themselves. In our final workshop, you'll explore how line breaks, spacing, and poetic form influence rhythm, pacing, and meaning. Through hands-on activities, you'll experiment with enjambment, caesura, and intentional formatting to discover how these craft choices shape the reader's experience. You'll leave with new revision strategies that will strengthen every poem you write moving forward.

The Omari Hardwick bluapple Poetry Network allows students across South Florida to truly be the center of the educational process and express themselves through the art of spoken word poetry. Students in grades K–12 are exposed to the transformative power of poetry through teacher and student-led workshops, virtual poetry readings, regional conferences, and more.