Nora Smith
Staff Writer
Last summer, Interim Michael I. Rudell Director of Literary Arts Stephine Hunt encountered two writers at the Cleveland Literary Arts Program’s fundraiser. There, she was lucky enough to hear their readings and, in turn, decided to welcome them to kick off the Chautauqua Writers’ Center’s season.
Stephanie Ginese and Annmarie Kelly-Harbaugh embody Week One’s theme “Icons and Instigators: Women Who Change the World.” As accomplished writers, Ginese and Kelly-Harbaugh represent raw human experience throughout their uniquely impactful writing, both with the inclusion of humor.
“I wanted to bring two women writers in particular, to speak, whose works are both equally moving and humorous,” Hunt said. “Their personalities and greeting styles are very personable and engaging.”
Hunt noted in addition to both writers being hilarious, Ginese maintains a powerful and punchy delivery while reading her work and Kelly-Harbaugh is more introspective, to the point where Hunt felt deeply immersed in Kelly-Harbaugh’s art.
Both writers will read at the Free Faculty Reading at 3:30 p.m. Sunday in the Hall of Philosophy, followed by a book signing.
Ginese’s reading consists of a few excerpts from her debut poetry book published in 2023, “Unto Dogs,” as well as some newer work that adheres to her workshop theme and forthcoming collection.
In “Unto Dogs,” Ginese uses humor and radical honesty to explore both the violent and feminine history of a body and an island. Further, Ginese said she uses humor as a common tool in her writing because she believes that it better encapsulates the real human experience.
“I feel like within writing, if you’re going to put it all out there, you’ve really got to put it all out there. And all of it is pretty funny,” Ginese said.
On a similar note, Kelly-Harbaugh said she was once described as “an award-winning humorist who mostly talks about death.” Not fully rejecting the description, Kelly-Harbaugh often puts it all out there for readers and embraces all moments of life.
Similar to Ginese’s work that centers on a body, Kelly-Harbaugh’s reading will feature her latest project, “Raise Your Body to the Sky,” a memoir in micros that explores aspects of humor and grief all from within a female body.
“In most of my stories, I’m interested in helping readers commune around themes of joy, grief and love,” Kelly-Harbaugh said. “If I can manage both happy tears and sad ones in the same sitting, that essay is a keeper.”
Following Ginese and Kelly-Harbaugh’s readings, both writers will each individually lead a weeklong workshop, inviting community members to sit down and join them in the writing process.
Ginese’s workshop, titled “Pop Goes the Poem!,” is a generative workshop with a cost of $145 per person. With a maximum of 15 spots, the workshop will take place from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. from June 29 to July 3.
“I feel like workshops are just a really great place to make writing and talking about writing really accessible. Those things can tend to be really scary,” Ginese said. “Some of us might have PTSD from our high school or college days, sometimes elementary.”
Ginese said that workshops located in accessible places such as Chautauqua can become a freeing space to be creative and play with words, even if it doesn’t always result in a finished piece at the end.
“Pop Goes the Poem!” revolves around generating poems and prose by remixing existing medias, such as ads, memes, music, movies and even brands to create experimentally new work.
“I’m more drawn to work that sort of puts a timestamp on itself, that talks about the brands, the celebrities and the sort of language that was being used at a certain time or era,” Ginese said. “I think that plays such an important role in history, and as writers and especially poets, we are sort of like documentarians.”
Kelly-Harbaugh’s generative workshop titled “Wild Writing: Jumpstart Your Storytelling,” will be $145 per person with a cap of 15 participants and will run from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. from June 29 to July 3.
Not only does Kelly-Harbaugh believe everyone has a story to tell, but that everyone has multiple; she hopes to get those stories into motion with her workshop.
“In this class, I try to get everyone moving — like a big push from a grown-up when you’re a kid on a swing,” Kelly-Harbaugh said. “Writers should leave our time together ready to soar and fly.”
Kelly-Harbaugh said that writing can sometimes seem lonely, but in the right setting, like a workshop, it’s magical.
“When we gather in creative community, it’s like an elixir or zap of energy for the soul,” Kelly-Harbaugh said. “We find our people. We listen to one another’s stories. Is there anything more beautiful than feeling held and seen like that?”
