As part of continued efforts to contextualize and invigorate A Smile Split by the Stars, an exhibition deeply invested in poetry and its implications for how we understand the world, we present a writing workshop facilitated by poet and Queen’s faculty member Juliane Okot Bitek from Black Studies. Having been part of the exhibition’s collaborative process and a contributing artist, Bitek brings firsthand knowledge of the themes and artistic vision that shaped this groundbreaking show.

Students from all disciplines are welcome. Please bring a pen or pencil and a notebook or paper. Space is limited to 12 participants, and registration is required. Refreshments are provided.

Register now!

Juliane Okot Bitek writes poetry and fiction. Her first collection, 100 Days, won the 2017 IndieFab Book of the Year Award for poetry and the 2017 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry. Her second collection, A is for Acholi, won the 2023 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Her most recent collection of poetry, Song & Dread, is published by Talonbooks. Bitek was born in Kenya to Ugandan parents and has lived in Canada for more than three decades. Her short story Going Home received a special mention in the 2004 Commonwealth Short Fiction Prize. We, the Kindling is her first novel.