JoRene Byers was awarded a 2024 scholarship on the strength of her application and the 3 excellent poems. Of her submission, the Scholarship committee wrote:
“her love of the natural world is woven with her writing practice and poetry. Her education, publishing and interest in history and community convey a kind of care and dedication that seems so well suited and uplifting for the La Romita community. We’re confident that her experiences at La Romita will enrich her art and writing practice in the future. “
She was thrilled to be able to chose between two workshops in our 2024 season, Kim Addonizio’s “Questions of Travel: A Poetry Adventure” and “The Art of Discovery – Self-Expression at the Crossroads of Poetry and Art” with Melissa Young and Emily Ransdell.
Though the prospect of a workshop with a visual art component was daunting, she ended up choosing to attend the latter because of constraints on her time. Her bravery paid off, helping her to find new language and a new lens with which to filter her experiences. Emily’s thoughtful writing prompts gave a focus through which she could explore these new skills – an experience that JoRene says will absolutely stay with her past the end of the workshop.
