Poet Assembly
Columbus's Poetry Conference
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of writing tips that don’t work for me as an individual. Or, maybe, I’m tired of writing tips being presented as universal when they are incredibly individual. In this workshop we will go over some generic writing tips and adapt them both to a poetry specific setting, as well as expand their mechanics to be adapted for the neurospicy bard. Breaking apart the pieces of both drafting and editing tips,we will discuss the ways we find them difficult to execute, and analyze how we might be able to apply the building blocks of the advice to our actual writing rituals.
About Nova
Nova Pax Thrasher is a queer, neurodivergent poet born and raised in Columbus. Nova’s writing primarily reflects identity, mental health, spirituality, and grief; with influences such as Dan “Soupy” Campbell, Laura Tempest Zakroff, and the late Andrea Gibson. In their free time, Nova enjoys practicing witchcraft or losing themself in the world of Pokemon. Their work has been published in Ink&Nebula; Sonder Midwest; Jesus Christ, I’m 36; and The Gorgon’s Guide for Magical Resistance. You can find them on various social platforms as @supernovapax
About Deborah
An indepth presentation will take place about key tools essential for revision, Frank X. Walker’s “Inherit” revision and essay and my recent experience with revising “The Language of Truth.” Interactive discussion will take place with the participants and references for revising will also be provided. 45 minutes.
Deborah Chow Strozier won 2nd place in the Salon 2008 Chapbook Competition for Lotus Leaves which was published by Pudding House. She was also shortlisted multiple times for the William Redding Memorial Poetry Competition. Poetry and short fiction were published in The Bitter Oleander, Hawai’i Pacific Review, Cricket Magazine, The Main Street Rag, and many others. She served as the Vice-President of the Ohio Poetry Association from 2008 to 2010.
11:30AM-12:15PM
Poetry In The Margins
with Noah Fischbach
Poetry has become widely understood as a powerful art, capable of not only imagistic self-expression, but also a tool used to resist various social constraints. In this workshop, participants will be guided through an exploration of poetry’s emancipatory qualities, connecting language to the innate human desire for justice and self-affirmation.
About Noah
Noah Fischbach is a poet and writer who is currently pursuing his master's degree in rhetoric and writing at the University of Findlay. His work primarily explores the intersections of faith, identity, and social justice. Noah has been published in multiple print and online publications, including Slipstream Press, The Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle, and Ekstasis.
About Umze'
1PM-1:45PM The Forms Poems Take
with Umze' Leslie Battle
Poetry, as an art form, is as varied and diverse as poets themselves. If you are curious about forms or structuring your art, this is the workshop for you! In this session, we will explore several poetry formats, through defining, describing and discussing. Attendees will also be encouraged to respond to a prompt using a form of their choosing.
Umze', AKA Leslie Battle, is a Columbus based poet, actress, comedian and belly dancer who also drums with community circles. After retiring from the US Army in 2015, she has focused her energies on pursuing her creativity by sharing her insights and experiences in the human condition.
1:45PM-2:30PM
Using The Words Of Others
with Barbara Marie Minney
In this workshop, participants will explore the creative and accessible concepts of blackout, erasure, and found poetry. This will be a generative and interactive workshop, and participants will be afforded the opportunity to try their hands at each type of poetry. Participants will be encouraged to share their work and interact with the teaching artist and each other. This will be a no critique/no criticism workshop. The purpose is to give participants additional tools to stash in their toolbox and to encourage.
About Barbara
Explore the captivating work of this transgender woman who uses her voice to inspire and empower. Barbara Marie Minney, a native of West Virginia and a seventh generation Appalachian, is an award-winning poet, writer, speaker, teaching artist, guest reader/editor, and quiet activist.
2:30PM-3:15PM The Need For Nurture
with Lanetta Shea
Get in touch with your sensitive, vulnerable emotions when writing poetry. Most often, our voices speak of hurt and pain loudly with an unapologetic demeanor. However, to reach those emotions that are more sensitive, and have a more loving, nurturing stance is also powerful healing.
About Lanetta
Lanetta Shea is a passionate and multifaceted storyteller whose creative journey spans acting, authorship, and poetry. She is best known for her role as Attorney Cassandra in the Amazon Prime series “Dear Love.” She has performed in productions by Brian Bowman (By Faith Productions) and Taylor Branding Company, while also appearing as an extra in a range of local and out-of-state films. As a writer, Lanetta made her literary debut in 2022 with A Piece of Me: The Memoirs of Shea Imperfect Angel. Lanetta is also the creator and host of Finger Snaps & Poetry Chats, a monthly poetry event that blends performance, conversation, and community.
3:15PM-4PM
From The Mundane To The Mystic
with Theresa Gottl Brightman
Explore the poetry of transformation, considering how our interpretation of an object or the world around us is a reflection of ourselves. We’ll discuss finding an element of wonder, and what the mystic can mean for you, even if you are neither religious nor spiritual.
About Theresa
Theresa's poems have most recently appeared in Verdant Wonders and Light Enters the Grove. In Fall 2024, for an exhibit titled Ohio Reclaimed, her printed and recorded poetry appeared alongside photography and oil paintings depicting and reimagining sites around northeast Ohio reclaimed by nature. She won an ArtsForward grant in 2024 to edit, facilitate, and publish The Roads at Night Looked Like Our Futures: A 40 Over 40 Poetry Anthology, released in August 2025. She lives in Akron, Ohio with her writer husband and the green bird who owns them both.
4:00PM-4:45PM Recording The Real
with Angela Pinkins
Let's encourage people to reach their dreams and goals in writing poetry and stories to encourage others and to be encouraged to fulfill their goals and dreams as a poet. Here are tips on ways to create authentic poetry and ways to connect with their poetry in real life events, with real life experiences and connections.
About Angela
I am an educator for the Columbus City School District. I am a wife, mother and grandparent. I have a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Mount Vernon Nazarene University. I have four poems published in four books. I am a poet and story writer. I have a poetry page on Facebook called Angela’a Poetry Slam and I do open mics at various venues around the city.
diVERSES Poet Assembly
The Columbus Poetry Conference
diversespoetry.com/assembly
Columbus has hosted writing conferences and arts festivals.
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Now Columbus has a conference dedicated to poetry in October 2025.
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This conference was an intimate operation. Each talk lasted for 30-45 minutes, spread out over the course of one Saturday at The Stanza, 15 N Westmoor and a nearby venue.
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If you were unable to attend, or want to recap the session you participated in, see replays of the talks above.
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