In-Person Class: “Snake Body, Open Mouth: Tapping Into Your Poetic Voice” with Bianca Alyssa Pérez
September 19 2026 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM CDT
$75.00 – $135.00
- This event has passed.
This Event is for Members only.
Click here to learn more about benefits of membership
$75 for Members
$135 for Non-Members
What stories live in the body before they become language? What parts of ourselves are inherited, and what do we choose to carry forward?
This class approaches voice as something inherited, embodied, and continually transformed. Using the serpent as a guiding metaphor for memory, survival, and renewal, participants will engage with generative prompts that draw from the body, family histories, cultural memory, and multilingual or fragmented language. Writers will leave with a deeper understanding of how silence, lineage, and lived experience can become powerful sources of poetic voice.
This is an in-person class held at the Munday Library (3001 S Congress Ave Building LIBR, Austin, TX 78704) on the St. Edwards College campus. It will not be recorded, or made available online. There will be paid parking ($6/day) available onsite. More details will be provided prior to the class date.
TAKE THIS CLASS IF:
- You are writing poetry.
- You are hoping to find new ways into your poems.
- You want to play with language and create new work.
- You want to move beyond autobiography and into transformation in your poetry.
- You want to access and develop your poetic voice.
The deadline to register for this class is Friday, September 18 at 5:00 PM CT.
CONTINUING YOUR WRITING JOURNEY
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
The WLT is committed to making our classes accessible to all writers including writers who do not have the financial means to pay for programming. Five (5) seats in this class have been set aside for scholarship recipients to attend free of charge. Please note: two (2) of these seats will be reserved for students of St. Edward’s University.
Please fill out this application no later than 2 days prior to the class to be considered for one of the scholarship seats. We do not ask for any corroborating documents; we only ask that you help us understand your situation. If you are selected for one of the available seats you will be notified via email (from wlt@writersleague.org) no later than 24 hours before the start of the class. Please note, each writer is limited to no more than four (4) total scholarship seats per catalog season.
Instructor
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Bianca Alyssa Pérez is a poet, educator, and editor from South Texas. Her chapbook, Gemini Gospel, was the winner of Host Publication's Chapbook Contest in Spring 2023. Her debut poetry collection, snake breath, is the winner of Hub City Press' 2026 Deep Line Poetry Prize and is forthcoming Spring 2027. Her work is published in these beautiful places: Porter House Review, Infrarrealista Review, New York Quarterly, Poetry Daily, Praisesong for the People Anthology (edited by Amanda Johnston), The Texas Observer, The Baltimore Review, the Bangalore Review & forthcoming in an anthology from The University of Nevada Press. She is the co-host of the horror podcast, Basement Girls, with writer, Steph Grossman. She is also the Director of the Katherine Anne Porter Visiting Writers Series at Texas State University. Find more chisme at her website: biancaalyssaperez.com.
Before purchasing, please read all policies as noted below and on our Accessibility and Policies page.
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Class & Event Registration Policy
Once a purchase has been made, registrations are not refundable and cannot be transferred to a different class or event. No exceptions will be made. If you purchase a registration and then find you cannot attend the class or event, someone else can attend in your stead. Simply contact us at wlt@writersleague.org and let us know the name and contact information for the person who will be using the registration so that we can update the class or event roster.
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Anti-Harassment Policy
The Writers’ League of Texas is dedicated to providing harassment-free spaces for everyone, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, age, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Violating these rules may result in expulsion from WLT programs without a refund at the discretion of the WLT staff.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
- Comments that reinforce social structures of domination (related to gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, age, or religion);
- Sexual images not appropriate for the specific subject of the public discussion;
- Deliberate intimidation or stalking;
- Harassing photography or recording;
- Sustained disruption of discussions or other events;
- Unwelcome sexual attention;
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
Enforcement
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, event organizers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the event with no refund. Event organizers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants. We expect participants to follow these rules during all events and event-related social activities.
Reporting
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. Reports can also be made via email at wlt@writersleague.org. We’ll handle any and all reports as respectfully as possible. You won’t be asked to confront anyone, and we won’t tell anyone who you are.
Accessibility Policy
Closed captioning is available for all online classes and special events.
The WLT is committed to making its programs & services accessible to all writers. Please contact us at wlt@writersleague.org or at 512-499-8914 for more information or to discuss accommodations you may need.
Credit Card Transaction Handling Fee Policy
All credit card transactions will incur a 4% handling fee. If you’d prefer to pay by check for membership, a class, or an event, you can use the provided forms on the membership or event pages and mail to: WLT, P.O. Box 14355, Austin, TX, 78704.
Writers’ League of Texas classes and workshops are also funded in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts – Investing in a Creative Texas. For more information, go to www.arts.texas.gov.