The Knoxville Writers Guild is proud to welcome award-winning poet, performer, and scholar Dr. Natalie J. Graham for our September program, “Making Concrete Float: Metaphor and Photography.” This engaging workshop invites participants to explore poetic strategies and forms that transform photographs into vibrant vessels of memory and meaning.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a photograph that inspires them—whether personal, historical, or found. Guided by Dr. Graham’s expertise, participants will draft short poems that merge image and language into works of art.

Dr. Natalie J. Graham—a native of Gainesville, Florida—earned her M.F.A. in Poetry from the University of Florida and her Ph.D. in American Studies from Michigan State University. Her acclaimed poetry collection, Begin with a Failed Body, won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize, selected by Kwame Dawes. Graham served as the inaugural Poet Laureate of Orange County, California, and in August 2024 joined the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as a professor in Africana Studies, where she now serves as Interim Department Head.

This event is free and open to the public, part of the Guild’s ongoing mission to nurture writers and writing across Knoxville and surrounding counties. Whether you are a seasoned poet or just beginning your writing journey, this evening offers inspiration, creativity, and community.