Elizabeth

Elizabeth Thomas is a widely published poet, performer, teacher and advocate of the arts. The author of two poetry collections and one book on writing for youth and teachers, she has read her work throughout the United States. She's been a member of three Connecticut National Poetry Slam teams and in 1998 was a member of the U.S. team that traveled to Sweden.

Much of her energy and time is devoted to designing and teaching writing programs for schools and organizations in many parts of the country. These programs promote literacy and the power of written and spoken word. As an outstanding advocate of youth in the arts, Elizabeth Thomas is a coach and organizer with Brave New Voices: International Youth Poetry Slam and Festival. She is also the founder of UpWords Poetry, a company dedicated to promoting programs for young writers and educators, based on the belief that poetry is meant to be heard out loud and in person.

In 2007

Florida Literacy Coalition
Keynote speaker, Awards Dinner

CT Commission on Culture and Tourism - HOT Schools Summer Institute
Co-Presenter - Emerging Voices, Writing and Performance

CT Commission on Culture and Tourism
Master Teaching Artist

Poet-in-Residence -
CT Review Literary Journal
Multicultural Connections (an EastCONN inter-district program)
Girl Scouts of America / 'Uniquely Me' Summer Camp
YPI www.ypi.org - Co-educational, residential summer camp

Goodwin Elementary School in Old Saybrook, Naugatuck HS, Conard HS, Cheshire HS Writers Block, Madison MS, Cornwall Consolidated Schools, Columbia Little Library after school teen program...

2005/2006

Florida Council of Teachers of English
Keynote speaker

Florida Literacy Coalition - Open Books Open Minds Conference
Keynote speaker and presenter

World Scholar-Athlete Games, Institute for International Sport, URI
Program Coordinator for the Writing/Poetry Program (157 countries represented)
www.internationalsport.com

Amelia Book Island Festival, Amelia Island FL
A featured author and presenter

YPI www.ypi.org - Co-educational, residential summer camp

Sunken Garden Poetry Series/Young Poets
Poetry judge and mentor

HOT Schools Summer Institute
Co-presenter - Emerging Voices

CT Commission on Culture and Tourism
Master Teaching Artist

Performances in Providence, Nantucket, NYC and Block Island

Presented poetry and out loud performance workshops throughout New England, Georgia, Florida and the Florida Keys

2004/2005

Capitol Region Educational Council/Bushnell Hall
Poet-in-residence for Images of Cultural Identity (5th grade students from Hartford, Newington and Farmington)

Hartford Public Schools
Program Director - Words Alive in the Middle (funded by Capitol Region Educational Council)

UConn's Confratute, Summer Institute, Enrichment Learning and Teaching for teachers from around the globe
Co-hosted a multi-day workshop - The Spoken Word: Performance Poetry

YPI www.ypi.org - Co-educational, residential summer camp

Sunken Garden Poetry Series/Young Poets
Poetry judge and mentor

CT Commission on Culture and Tourism
Master Teaching Artist

2002/2003

Poetry Live/Litchfield Performing Arts
Workshop presenter for middle school

New England Association of Teachers of English
Workshop presenter

Greater Hartford Academy of Performing Arts
Poet-in-residence for 8th graders

Bushnell Partners Program
Conference presenter

College Explorers of the Florida Keys
Poet-in-residence for Key West High School and Sugarloaf Middle School

Sunken Garden Poetry Series/Young Poets
Poetry judge and mentor

From 1998 to 2001

Capitol Region Educational Council (CREC)
Program Director for Words Alive, a greater Hartford, CT in-school writing program. Six high schools were involved (New Britain, Wethersfield, Hartford, East Hartford, Weaver and South Windsor). The program hosted noted poets and writers Naomi Ayala, Martin Espada, Marc Smith, Jack Agueros, Gayle Danley, Claribel Alegria, Ernesto Cardinal, D.J. Renegade, Roger Bonair-Agard, Sara Holbrook, Wayne Karlin, Patricia Smith, Cheryl Savageau, Doug Anderson, Luis Rodriguez, Devorah Major, the Welfare Poets and others.

If you would like a brochure listing some of the workshops offerings, please email upwordspoetry@earthlink.net to request a copy.

***

Brave New Voices/Inter-National Youth Poetry Slam and Festival
Organizer/coach for CT team

Co-organized and hosted the 1st National Youth Poetry Slam in Hartford, CT in 1998. The event included teams from the CT, Washington DC, NYC, Worcester, MA and a team from the Navajo Indian Nation of New Mexico. Since 1998, have traveled with the CT Youth team to New Mexico, San Francisco, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Los Angeles, NYC and in July 2007, San Jose. Brave New Voices 11 will be held in Washington DC in July 2008. Want more information, please send an email to: upwordspoetry@earthlink.net

Member of three CT National Poetry Slam teams (1994, 1995, 1997)
Represented the 1998 U.S. team in an international slam in Sweden
Individual competitor at NPS in the 2003 (Chicago) and 2005 (Albuquerque)

***

As a poet and performer, her work continues to be featured throughout the U.S. A partial Calendar of upcoming readings and workshops is available. Her first book of poetry, 'Full Circle' was published in 2000 by Hanover Press. Two poems included in the book... Ebb Tide and On Aging . She recently finished her second collection of poems 'From the Front of the Classroom', poems on learning and teaching through Antrim House - Please visit http://www.antrimhousebooks.com/thomas.html. As well, she wrote a book on creative writing for children and teachers entitled, 'If Only Red Could Talk'. For information on ordering any of these books, please email to upwordspoetry@earthlink.net.

Elizabeth is a poet who believes in the idea of �poetry as remedy and resource� and throughout her life uses writing as a tool to help understand things that don't make sense.

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