Carl Sandburg Home NHS will continue the popular monthly virtual writing workshops in April. The first, on April 3, celebrates National Poetry Month and will be led by 2021 National Youth Poet Nominee, Serena Yang. The second, on April 4, is a non-fiction writing workshop led by journalist and public speaker Tessie Castillo.
On Sunday, April 3, from 3-5pm ET, Serena Yang will kick off National Poetry Month. Serena is the New York City Youth Poet Laureate and a Finalist for the 2021 National Youth Poet Laureate. Her workshop aims to engage youth to express themselves through poetry and is best suited for ages 15-25.
Serena was born in Singapore and raised in Queens, she is a first-generation Chinese American immigrant, and her work reflects her myriad identities. She performed at the 2021 NYC COVID Memorial Ceremony alongside the New York City Mayor & The NY Philharmonic, and has appeared on NPR as well as in the Washington Post and the New Yorker Magazine. She approaches art in all its mediums as the fire, fuel and food for change, and believes imagination and storytelling are critical to writing.
On Monday, April 4, from 7-9pm ET, Tessie Castillo will offer a workshop titled: “Write to Fight (Non-fiction).” The workshop will help answer how writers can use their craft to engage in civic participation. She will discuss the art of persuasion, how writers can use their skills for activism, and the mind-traps and ethical dilemmas of writing for a cause. This workshop is open to writers of all skill levels and is appropriate for ages 16 and older.
Tessie Castillo is an author, journalist and public speaker who specializes in stories on social justice issues. She is the editor of “Crimson Letters: Voices from Death Row,” an original anthology of writings about the death penalty that features entries by Castillo, as well as several current residents of North Carolina’s Death Row. In 2021 “Crimson Letters” was a finalist for the 2021 Eric Hoffer award for excellence in small press publishing. Castillo also received the Victor Hassine Memorial Scholarship at American University for using creative work to educate the public on criminal justice issues.
The writing workshops are supported by the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara and will use Zoom for the virtual connection. Please visit the calendar of events page to sign up at https://www.nps.gov/carl/
Park grounds and trails are open sunrise to sunset. Outdoor access to the goats (in the barnyard and goat pasture) is from 10am to 3pm daily. Access to grounds, trails and the goats is free. The Visitor Center and Park Store inside the Sandburg Home are open from 10am to 3pm on Thursdays and Sundays (two days per week). Free tours of the Sandburg Home are offered on Thursdays and Sundays at 11am, 1pm, and 2pm, on a first come, first served basis.
Visitors should follow CDC guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and recreate responsibly. For the health and safety of others, please choose another time to visit if you are not feeling well.
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, located in Flat Rock, NC, is open daily, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Due to COVID-19, some visitor services are limited. For park updates and all parking options visit www.nps.gov/carl.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
