2022: I Wrote Myself Stronger
Program
Opening Circle
Spark Generative Writing
Lunch
Real Talk Mentorship
Salon
Closing Circle
Speakers
Testimonials
My participation in the Poetic Justice Institute certainly revamped my passion for creative writing and poetry after primarily focusing on nonfiction throughout my Fordham career. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to share space with such talented BIPOC writers and faculty, as well as build community with the English Department! This is such a wonderful opportunity, particularly for BIPOC students, to learn more about the professional field through a specific lens.
The Poetic Justice Festival was one of the most illuminating experiences I've had in all of my four years at Fordham. I was so grateful to get to participate before graduating! It felt so special to be in a place created by and for BIPOC writers. From Opening Circle, I felt deeply connected to everyone in the space, and throughout our day together, I was nourished by my peers' work, and deeply inspired to create. I left the event believing more in myself and in poetry's ability to both heal and break barriers.
The Poetic Justice Institute Festival was exactly what I needed. The day-long experience of getting to connect with other BIPOC writers allowed for such deep connection and conversation. I loved getting to write alongside fellow students and sharing our experiences at Fordham in the opening circle. It was such a lovely and important opportunity for us as students to connect and feel valued as writers and people. I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity—I left the Festival feeling inspired and eager to keep writing!
My Poetic Justice Institute Experience was excellent! I had no idea that I would enjoy it as much as I did. Especially having entered college at the height of the pandemic, it's been very difficult to get involved with different departments at Fordham and feel that I'm actually participating in the Fordham community. Attending this event really helped me to see how many resources and opportunities the Fordham English Department community has to offer.
The PJI event was inspiring, & cathartic on so many levels. It felt so good to be in fellowship with other faculty and students of color & to be both encouraged to write & to treat the craft of writing as something sacred and worthy of protection. Thank you all for taking such good care of us. Kudos all around!
As a graduating senior who has put much of my heart and soul into finding the parts of Fordham that I love and sharing it with others (as a 2x Orientation Captain, a student with a multitude of executive board experience across Fordham cultural and professional clubs, and someone deeply entrenched in Fordham's campus culture) — I can confidently say that the Poetic Justice Institute Festival encompassed everything I love about and hope for Fordham into a single event. It was transformative, and warm, and inclusive. The cura personalis is shared to incoming Fordham students from our very first day, and this experience showed me what that tenet truly means in practice: carrying for the creativity, the presence, and the spirit of BIPOC and non-BIPOC staff, students, and guests in attendance alike. A presence designed /for/ BIPOC creativity is the most blessed gift Fordham could have given me as I close out my years at a school I love so dearly, and having this space for future students would be a gift, and a well-needed presence of inclusion, intention, and welcome. I pray that all current, future, and hopeful individuals within the Fordham community get the chance to experience the love and thought that was created at this retreat! I'm happy to have created the poem of community with everyone present.
The Poetic Justice's "I wrote myself toward a stronger version of myself" seminar was a necessary part of my Fordham experience, not just as a writer, but as a student. It is so easy to feel alone in your writing, not just in at PWI, but simply existing. The guest writers and professors really crafted this event to be an unforgettable and resourceful experience. Often, it feels like the industry must gatekeep, that it must be difficult, but this event opened my eyes to the opportunities and the networks that I did not believe existed or that I would have access to. The event is a must! This was the most empowering experience I have had at Fordham thus far.