From Picture to Poem

Are you the type of person that wanders through vintage stops or photo archives wondering about the stories behind each object? Do you have a box of found objects, old photographs, or paper scraps that you’ve been saving for that one project some day? 

Join the Chinese American Museum on Thursday, July 23, from 6 – 8 PM for From Picture to Poem, a generative poetry workshop inspired by artifacts from the museum’s archives. Using these historical materials as creative prompts, participants will explore collaging to create “found” writing in different hybrid writing styles and modalities. Through a series of playful writing exercises, participants will also experiment with new ways to find inspiration, connect with community history, and transform archival images (and stories) into original works of art.    

Attendees will walk away with three pieces of visual poetry that combine their own words and sentiments with images from the CAM archives. 

**This workshop is hosted and lead by Taz Ahmed and jason chu, artists featured in CAM’s current exhibition, (Be)Spoken: Poems from Our Asian American Voices. Spaces in the workshop may be limited. 

About the Workshop Leads: 

jason chu is a prominent rapper and activist in the national Asian American scene. He’s been heard in movies, TV shows, and video games including Warrior, American Born Chinese, Joy Ride, and Valorant. As a content creator, jason’s videos on history, society, and culture regularly go viral. He’s worked with the LA Mayor’s Office, and serves as guest curator of the (Be)Spoken exhibition at the Chinese American Museum. 

Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed is a political strategist, storyteller, and artist based in Los Angeles. An Active writer, both her essays and poetry have been published in numerous publications and collections. Her latest poetry collection “Grasping At This Planet Just to Believe” was published April 2024 with Writ Large Projects.