The University of Maine at Augusta is offering a free interactive teaching workshop led by Maine Poets Dawn Potter and Martin Steingesser, from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday, April 8, in UMA’s Richard Randall Student Center.

One part of the workshop will focus on how classroom teachers can use poetry to teach language-arts skills while also facilitating students’ creative civil engagement. The other part will focus on writing strategies and participants will be encouraged to explore voice in their writing and the pleasures of speaking, hearing and sharing poems.

The workshop will take place in conjunction with the University’s Terry Plunkett Poetry Festival, which starts immediately following the workshop on the evening of April 8 and will conclude on Saturday, April 9. An annual tradition at UMA, the festival is one of the largest poetry festivals in the state. This year’s keynote is the beloved and influential poet Richard Blanco.

For more information and to register for the workshop, contact UMA Professor of English, Ellen Taylor at [email protected].