Our Response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak

As a precaution to help limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and care for our community, Just Buffalo Literary Center has postponed a number of events, and we will follow the guidance of Buffalo Public Schools in terms of Just Buffalo Writing Center programming.

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Sherry Robbins

Monday, January 27, 2020 “Building a sense of communal adventure”: Q&A with teaching artist Sherry Robbins

Posted at 08:28h in Adult Writing Workshops, Teaching Artists by

Sherry Robbins is a poet, teaching artist, and long-time yoga instructor. Her publications include the full-length collections Or, the Whale (BlazeVOX Books) and Under World, and the chapbook Snapshots of Paradise. She’s a familiar face at Just Buffalo—she’s been teaching workshops for youth and adults with us for nearly forty years. This spring, Sherry teaches two all-ages writing workshops at Just Buffalo: Tarot Writing and Falling Down, Rising Up. Learn more about Sherry and her workshops in this quick Q&A.

How long have you been a teaching artist with Just Buffalo, and what do you enjoy most about working with writers and leading workshops here?

I’ve been a teaching artist here since 1982, when JBLC’s Education programs began. I love the space and the respect given to the art of writing, and I love helping people discover and deepen their creative gifts.

Can you describe the atmosphere of your workshops?

Welcoming, fun, and structured with prompts that encourage your unique creativity while building a sense of communal adventure.

The first workshop you’re leading this spring is Tarot Writing. What about tarot lends itself to poetry and poetic expression? What sorts of themes does it explore?

The images of tarot act on memory and imagination, and its “system” of journeys from innocence to experience stimulates deep, poetic, dream-like responses.

What would you say to someone considering taking a workshop here?

You won’t regret it!

Can you leave us with a writing prompt inspired by one of your workshops?

What, specifically, has this day been trying to tell you?

Tarot Writing with Sherry Robbins

Tarot Writing begins Feb. 4. Falling Down, Rising Up begins May 12. Registration is now open for both workshops.

Just Buffalo Writing Workshops are designed for any level of writer, from beginner to advanced. Taught by established writers, hone your craft in a relaxed, nonjudgmental atmosphere. Explore the full slate of Spring 2020 writing workshops.