Joe Craven's “Songetry; Poem to Song” - Workshop

Join us for an E-ticket ride upon the pursuit of possibility. You’ll be asked to write a poem to share, jumpstarting a song in 5 minutes! The goal is learning how to write in timed creative movement and spontaneity - while your inner critic is tucked away in the trunk! You won't be able to prepare for what we'll be creating, so just get ready to have fun and be surprised with what you and your friends’ ideas create under pressure. Joe will give you a recipe on how to cradle these poetic puppies in a variety of musical landscapes to explore and connect the intention of words to music.

Joe’s “Songetry” connects something most of us have already done (writing a poem). Joe will then provide a template with ideas to move it to song. As many of us know, poems, whether rhyming or not, can tell a story in an accessible form of metered rhythm. We all possess the ability to write such stories and that is the grist for the mill of songwriting. This can bring surprising and often magical kick starts to new compositions to finish at home. Have a notebook and pen or, if you’re proficient at typing, your keyboard or smart phone will do.

Joe is a creativity educator, former museum curator, camp director, poet/storyteller, fashion insultant, coast to coast music festival emcee (notably Delfest, Telluride Bluegrass, Live Oak & Grand Targhee) and recipient of the 2009 Folk Alliance Far-West Performer of the Year. He’s made music with many things and many folks – from Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, whirled artist David Lindley and harmonica wizard Howard Levy, to 7 years with banjo fusionist Alison Brown and 17 years with mandolinist David Grisman.

Hattie, in addition to being a seasoned actor in community theater, has built a reputation as one of the finest young, if not youngest, performers on the stages of numerous nationally noted music festivals from coast to coast… and all to standing ovations.