As part of the Arts & Health Mercer coalition, Morven Museum & Garden and the Princeton Public Library are pleased to offer a free workshop with poet and author Shawn R. Jones.
During this interactive workshop, we will listen to poems that fearlessly confront both personal and collective traumas, while simultaneously guiding us towards a path of hope. Through engaging writing prompts, participants will explore ways to amplify their voices to create work that feels honest and representative of themselves.
No prior experience in creative writing or poetry is required to participate. Please register in advance to reserve a spot. This workshop is recommended for ages 18 and older.
About Shawn R. Jones
Shawn R. Jones was born in Hartford, Connecticut and grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She is the author of two poetry chapbooks, Womb Rain (2008) and A Hole to Breathe (2015). Her work has appeared in Tri-Quarterly, New Ohio Review, Passengers Journal, Rattle, Essence, and elsewhere. She is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, and her poetry collection, Date of Birth, has been awarded the 2022 Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize in Poetry. Additionally, she has been selected as 2023 Civitella Fellow, a testament to her unwavering commitment to her craft.
Shawn is the co-owner of Tailored Tutoring LLC and Kumbaya Academy, Inc., a dance instructor at Halliday Dance, and a member of the Langston Hughes Society and the poetry performance troupe, No River Twice. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and an MFA in Creative Writing from Rutgers-Camden. When she is not writing, dancing, or teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family and her lucky pit bull, Ross.
About Arts & Health Mercer
Arts & Health Mercer was created by a coalition of arts and culture organizations of the Mercer County region to bring a greater appreciation, understanding and experience of how the arts are integral to the health of individuals and communities through an alignment of programming across organizations.
Through this initiative, we seek to create awareness of the health benefits of the arts, and provide access to these benefits through our programming.
In celebration of Arts and Health Month, each participating organization has developed program(s) both individually and/or collaboratively to take place throughout the month of November.