Beyond Baroque to partner with University of Iowa’s International Writing Program for series of online workshops, featuring poet Manuel Becerra

Beyond Baroque Literary / Arts Center is proud to announce that it will be partnering with the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa to develop a series of virtual workshops facilitated by writers from around the globe. The inaugural workshop will be facilitated by renowned Mexican poet Manuel Becerra. The International Writing Program (IWP) has hosted over 1,600 writers from over 160 countries in its residency program, with a mission of connecting well-established writers around the world and bringing international literature to classroom settings. Earlier this year, both Beyond Baroque and The International Writing Program were affected by a monumental loss of federal funding. This new partnership furthers IWP’s goal of fostering international literary advancement and furthers Beyond Baroque’s mission of advancing the public awareness and participation in the literary arts. This new online series aims at cultivating a safe space where writers from around the world are connected and work together towards the cross cultural exchange of literature.

Manuel Becerra’s webinar-style workshop “Please, Cross the Line” will take place over the course of six weeks, beginning on October 14, and continuing weekly every Tuesday until November 18. Sessions will be conducted over Zoom from 6—8 pm pdt. 25 emerging and established writers will receive the opportunity to engage with Becerra’s curriculum on an intimate level. The workshop will be priced at $295 for the entire six week session. Additionally, the workshop welcomes an unlimited number of auditors for a fee of $25 for the entire six week period, to virtually observe the sessions in real time.

To register or share, please see this site.

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR:

Manuel Becerra (Mexico City, 1983) studied Creative Writing at the Autonomous University of Mexico City. He is the author of La escritura de los animales distintos (Dogma, 2024), a separate edition of La escritura de los animales distintos in bilingual format (Writings on the Other Animals, with translation by Kathleen Archer, Song Bridge Press, 2022), Los trabajos de la Luz no usada (FOEM, 2021), Fábula y Odisea (Mantis editores, 2020), Instrucciones para matar un caballo (Conaculta/Fonca, 2013), and Canciones para adolescentes fumando en un claro del bosque (Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, 2011). Becerra has won numerous poetry prizes, most recently the Jaime Sabines International Poetry Award (2024) for his book Estética de los objetos aislados. Previously Becerra received the Laura Méndez de Cuenca Award (2020), the Alonso Vidal Award (2019), the Enriqueta Ochoa Award (2014), the Ramón López Velarde National Literary Award for 2011, and the Enrique González Rojo Award (2008). His poems appear in magazines in Mexico and abroad, and he has read at festivals in Spain, Cuba, Canada, Colombia, China, Japan and the United States. He was a resident at the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa in 2019, at Stockton University in New Jersey in 2019, at Art Omi in New York State in 2018, and at the Residencia Literaria 1863 in Coruña, Spain, in 2025. He received the Fundación grant for Mexican Letters, poetry division, in 2009-2010.

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL WRITING PROGRAM:

The mission of the International Writing Program is to promote mutual understanding by providing writers from every part of the world the necessary space, physical or imaginative, for creative work and collaboration in an intercultural setting. The International Writing Program’s mission is anchored in the values of freedom of expression and inclusiveness, and in the belief that creativity has the power to shape the world. The mission is executed by building enduring creative communities, encouraging cross-cultural dialogue, and supporting writers at all stages

ABOUT BEYOND BAROQUE:

Beyond Baroque is one of the nation’s most successful and influential grassroots incubators of the literary arts. Founded in 1968, and housed in the original Venice City Hall building in Venice, California, it is a nonprofit public space dedicated to cultivating new writing and expanding the public’s knowledge of poetry, literature, and art through cultural events and community interaction. The center offers a diverse variety of literary and arts programming, including readings, workshops, art exhibits, and notable festivals. Across five decades, Beyond Baroque has provided crucial support to a slate of seminal writers, artists, and musicians, including Wanda Coleman, Dennis Cooper, Amy Gerstler, Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Mike Kelley, Viggo Mortensen, Will Alexander, and Amanda Gorman. The center continues to provide a vital cultural forum through its free workshops, reading series, and programming.