Youth Poets Are Powerful
Amanda Gorman mesmerized our nation —article by Camila Sotela
Posts
Heart to Heart
A heart-to-heart conversation with Catherine O’Neill Thorn, inviting a response from our supporters.
Badass-Ray Arterburn
The poem “Badass” written and performed by AfA youth poet Ray Arterburn
NEW Youth Ambassador Program
One way for youth to exercise their power by having more choices, which is why we created…
Giving Tuesday 2020
Mark your calendars to pack a local punch on Giving Tuesday, December 1st. Join donors from…
@2020 Art from Ashes IncFirst Friday Instagram
You can still hear our youth poets perform every First Friday on Instagram @afaphoenix
Writing Kits
More than 80 Phoenix Rising creative writing kits have been delivered to schools and other agencies thanks to a generous grant from TGYS!
Share Your Poem
Hello, Creative Genius! Have a poem you’ve written from one of our prompts? You can share it with us right here!
Writing Prompt-Guest House
Set a timer for three minutes and write without thinking or editing until the time is up! Here’s a prompt to help you get started…
Events
First Friday Youth Workshops/Performance
Join us every First Friday in the ArtsDistrict on Santa Fe for a youth performance at Denver Art Society at 734 Santa Fe Dr. at 7 pm.
Contact email hidden; JavaScript is required at Art from Ashes for more information.
Much more than a public performance, youth gather at Art from Ashes at 4.30 for a FREE one-hour Phoenix Rising writing workshop, followed at 5.30 by a FREE one-hour performance workshop.
AfA facilitators and local artists/performers guide the youth through poetry writing prompts and spoken word presentations to prepare them for public performance.
Free Youth Drop-In Wordshop!
Youth 24 and younger can drop in for a free Phoenix Rising empowerment wordshop at the McNichols Building in Civic Center Park. We provide the snacks, the water, and the art and writing materials. You bring your creativity!
Adult Intro Workshop
ADULT INTRODUCTORY WORDSHOP SERIES
The Phoenix Rising process is designed to allow participants to recognize their inherent creative power and how perception affects our identity and our reality. Art from Ashes uses the latest research in left-brain/right-brain functioning and the role of creativity in transformation to encourage participants to access the creative subconscious and the power available through artistic expression.
:: Wednesdays from 6 to 7.30 pm, April 29–June 3 with Catherine O’Neill Thorn
$175 payment due by April 22 :: check, cash or pay online with PayPal
(You don’t need a PayPal account; just select “Pay with a debit or credit card” on the PayPal page.)
Youth Drop-In Wordshop
Join facilitator Cameron Shaw and guest poets from the community for a FREE two-hour poetry and spoken word workshop at the McNichols building in Civic Center Park.
Open to all youth ages 14-24.
Tuesday Drop-In Wordshop
Join Art from Ashes facilitators, other youth from the community, and guest poets for a FREE two-hour poetry and spoken word workshop every Tuesday at Art from Ashes on Inca between 8th and 9th.
Every Tuesday from 4.30 – 6.30; open to all youth ages 12-24.
We’ll provide the writing materials, art supplies, pizza and snacks! You provide the creative genius!
Email us if you’d like to let us know you’re coming, and if you want to be sure you get some food! 😀
(or just show up — we promise to feed you)
Boulder International Film Festival
Art from Ashes has been selected as the first Nonprofit Partner in the Call 2 Action program of the Boulder International Film Festival 2015! A collaboration of Boulder International Film Festival, Philanthropiece Foundation, the Twisted Foundation, and committed local leaders, Call 2 Action offers concrete ways for filmgoers to take the energy and passion inspired by film and move from concern to action. Because of our agency’s connection with the Jimmy Santiago Baca film “A Place to Stand,” Art from Ashes has been provided a platform “to raise awareness for the incredible service that [you] provide for our community by introducing the power of poetry and art to transform lives.”Art from Ashes will introduce the film at 10am on Sunday, followed by the screening.
Post-screening, there will be a TalkBack (Panel discussion) in the “TalkBack Cafe” just across the street from the Boulder Theater on the Pearl Street Mall. The TalkBack is open to anyone who wishes to find out more about the film and our work with youth, and will feature Jimmy Santiago Baca, Art from Ashes Executive Director Catherine O’Neill Thorn, and Art from Ashes youth poet Prinjastin Sykes.
Download the program here. (we’re on pages 15 and 35 :D)
Boulder International Film Festival March 5-8 in Boulder and the film “A Place to Stand,” based on the life of Jimmy Santiago Baca, at 10am on Sunday the 8th!
Buy tickets here!
Tattoos and Poetry
Get tattooed for a cause on Feb 7! All proceeds from the All Sacred Foundation fundraiser are donated to 4 amazing organizations: Art from Ashes, Art of War, Phoenix Multisport and Planned Pethood International.
Between the hours of 5 and 11 pm, there will be DJ’s; youth performances and writing/art prompts by Art from Ashes; prints and shirts for sale; and donation based massage! Drop in and hang out with us, have a good time, and learn about All Sacred Foundation and the organizations they support.
(check out the All Sacred Foundation Facebook page to book a specific tattoo artist or just drop in!
Wednesday Drop-In Wordshops
Join Art from Ashes facilitators, other youth from the community, and guest poets for a FREE poetry and spoken word workshop at Art from Ashes on Inca between 8th and 9th.
Every Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
While this wordshop is geared toward middle school age youth, all young people between the age of 12 and 24 are welcome.
We’ll provide the writing materials, art supplies, food and drinks! You provide the creative genius!
Email us using the form below if you’d like to let us know you’re coming or want more information…and if you want to be sure you get some food!
(or just show up — we promise to feed you)
Yoga & Poetry 2016
Join us for a 60-minute ALL levels vinyasa yoga class led by Courtney Chandler, followed by a 30-minute poetry workshop, with writing prompts focusing on creative empowerment.
Requested donation is $20, which will go straight toward funding Art from Ashes youth programs!
This blissful vinyasa class/workshop focuses on creating harmony in the body, mind, and spirit, to explore and encourage inner creativity and self-expression. You will pair breath to movement as you flow mindfully for a 60-minute all-levels vinyasa. A 30-minute poetry workshop will be facilitated immediately following the yoga asana, allowing opportunity for a deeper exploration of self-expression to unfold. This class will have you moving, breathing, writing, and creating a personally meaningful artistic expression! Don’t miss it!
Catherine O’Neill Thorn is the founder and executive director of Art from Ashes, an award-winning Colorado nonprofit that provides transformational creative programs for struggling youth. O’Neill Thorn, a member of the National Association of Professional Women, Colorado Prevention Partners Coalition, and the Human Services Network of Colorado, has been conducting poetry and spoken word workshops for youth and adults since 1992 when she developed the Phoenix Rising transformational writing process. She has conducted sessions at juvenile facilities since 1992, including residential and day treatment centers, probation departments, and schools. She established and ran weekly poetry sessions for three years for Columbine students after the fatal shootings in 1999. Participating students gave a public reading attended by international media, and in 2000, O’Neill Publishing produced Screams Aren’t Enough, a compilation of Columbine student poetry, which won the Colorado Book Award.