Benin Lemus

Benin Lemus, M.F.A., author of the poetry collection Dreaming in Mourning. Ms. Lemus is a 2022 Inaugural Workshop Fellow with Obsidian Magazine’s O|Sessions: Black Listening–A Performance Master Class and the 2022 Honorable Mention in the Furious Flower Poetry Center’s annual poetry competition. Her work is published online and in print, most recently in Songs From Another Sun: a BIPOC poetry anthology, Mároko: Journal of African Poetry, and TORCH Literary Arts, for which her poetry submission earned a 2022 Pushcart nomination. She served as a Finalist Judge for AWP’s 2024 Intro to Journals competition for poetry.

Instructor Statement:

As a poet and your writing instructor, I will lead you to places of curiosity and creativity through writing exercises and lively class discussions. By studying and engaging with the work of contemporary poets combined with traditional and new poetic forms, you will find comfort in developing your poetic voice, write poems that speak to your interests (as opposed to what you think people want to read), and learn the art of revision through a progressive workshop model that will help you give and receive constructive feedback. Finally, poetry is not just about what is on the page but the art of performance. I embed performance techniques in my classes that are unique to each student’s personality type and universal for connecting with diverse audiences. You will leave my class feeling creative, confident, and supported as you make your way into the world as a poet.