Soul Bone℠ Literary Festival
Know the Unknowable • Imagine the Unimaginable • Say the Unsayable
Spring ‘22
The Soul Bone℠ Literary Festival has traditionally coincided with the residencies of the MFA in Creative Writing at MIU, since both were founded and are directed by Nynke Passi. The festival is co-sponsored by Soul Bone℠ and MIU’s MFA in Creative Writing. The festivals and MIU MFA residencies are held twice a year, in February and August, are open to the public, conducted online via Zoom, and last two weeks with a full literary schedule. You can find an overview on this page, which links to all past festivals.
The next Soul Bone℠ Literary Festival will take place in February, 2025, with morning, afternoon, and evening events: workshops, master classes, panels, and readings. We will be updating this website soon with more news. All are welcome! Please join us and spread the word.
In the meanwhile, the Soul Bone℠ literary center is offering some sporadic online offerings with generative workshops, prompt circles, and master classes taught by some of our core Soul Bone℠ Literary Festival facilitators. You can view the current offerings of the Soul Bone℠ Literary Center here. if no upcoming events are showing, please check back shortly, for new events may be added regularly.
Some of our Soul Bone℠ Festival guests have been:
Kim Addonizio, Kelli Russell Agodon, Maureen Aitken, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Ellen Bass, Francesca Bell, M. G. Bertulfo, Ellen Birkett Morris, Mermer Blakeslee, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Eric Boyd, Nickole Brown, Nicole Callihan, Aileen Cassinetto, Arnoldo Colibrí, N. J. Campbell, Quintin Collins, Kai Coggin, James Crews, Tom Centolella, Linda Egenes, Joshua Jennifer Espinoza, Eileen Elizabeth Espinoza, Anika Fajardo, Sherrie Fernandez-Williams, Molly Fisk, Diane Frank, Kate Gayle, Shanon Gibney, January Gill O’Neil, Janlori Goldman, Rafael Jesús González, Vince Gotera, Stacy Jane Grover, Tami Haaland, Barbara Hamby, Sara Henning, Zoë Hitzel, Lily Hoang, Carolyn Holbrook, Luisa A. Igloria, Doña Monserrat Iñiguez, Jessica Jacobs, Benji Jones, Ezekiel Joubert III, Eugenia Kim, David Kirby, Jennifer L. Knox, Danusha Laméris, Rustin Larson, Dorianne Laux, Daniel M. Lavery, Suphil Lee Park, Denise Low, Emilile Lygren, Mary Mackey, Debra Marquart, Nia McAllister, Nathan McClain, Tiffany Midge, Mary Moore Easter, David Mura, Loa Niumeitolu, Linda Noel, Karen Osborn, Danielle Pafunda, Alice Paige, Susanne Paola Antonetta, Sasha Parmasad, Mary Peelen, Mona (Susan) Power, Monica Prince, Susan Rich, Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Tim Seibles, Prartho Sereno, Kim Shuck, Kalpna Singh-Chitnis, Steven Schneider, Sun Yung Shin, Katie Jean Shinkle, Christine Schrum, Erin Elizabeth Smith, Susan Smith-Daniels, Mark Spragg, Daniel Summerhill, Mary Swander, Lehua Taitano, Diane Thiel, Lynne Thompson, Daniel Tobin, Loretta Diane Walker, Sidney Wade, Claire Wahmanholm, Nicole Walker, Nikki Wallschlaeger, Diane Wilson, Naomi Quiñónez, Wally Swist, Alan Ziegler, and more.
Testimonials
“I’ve been to several Soul Bone conferences / festivals. They are really awesome experiences — nothing compares.”
“The Soul Bone Festival was spectacular! So much so that I might just take my two weeks of paid vacation so I can attend every session next time!”
“Thank you for allowing me to spend time in your community of writers. It felt nourishing and uplifting. I could feel all the warmth and love as I read last night. You and your students were so generous-hearted. What a wonderful community! It was a great honor to share my story with you, to feel it was safe to speak deep truth. I would be thrilled to visit your community again. Wopida, thank you, for granting such a warm space to land with our difficult stories.”
“Soul Bone is one of my favorite U.S. Literary Festivals. You treat your authors so well.”
“I am delighted to hear that I won’t have to wait too much longer for the next Soul Bone Literary Festival. I know it probably sounds overly dramatic, but I felt a huge loss when the Fall one ended. It was amazing to have shared that time, day after day, with your writing community. I can’t wait to experience it again. It can be very hard to find places where you can scratch at the depths of your soul and lived experiences in your writing and be met with an appetite to hear it. I found that at Soul Bone. It was so encouraging when one can so easily be discouraged from writing.”
“I peeked in on a few of the workshops and presentations and felt my soul and my bones kissed with a tenderness of inspiration and kinship. I, too, am a poet and look forward to meeting new tribe folk. I intend to continue ‘peeking in’ from time to time and requesting the newsletter is a start. Thank you for all you do, for the creativity you inspire, for the words of wisdom and signposts, and for adding melody to the vibration.”
A SAMPLING OF PAST FESTIVALS
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Fall ’24 Festival
Our Soul Bone℠ Literary Festival of Fall ‘24 took place from Aug. 19 - 30. This festival was a collaboration between the Soul Bone℠ literary center and MIU’s MFA Residency. It included iterary events offered by alumni and faculty of the MIU MFA in Creative Writing and a few very special guests.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Spring ’24 Festival
Our Spring ‘24 Festival took place from Feb. 12 - 25. Our festivals are always free, online, and open to the public.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Fall ’23 Festival
Our Fall ‘23 festival was a showcase for MIU’s MFA in Creative Writing, founded and directed by Nynke Passi, who also founded and directs Soul Bone℠. The Fall festival ran from Aug. 21 - Sept. 3, 2023.
MIU MFA SHOWCASE RESIDENCY: Aug. 21 - Sept. 3, 2023
Soul Bone℠ Literary Festival Archives available below.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Spring ’23 Festival
Spring ‘23
You can view our Spring ‘23 festival information below! Please subscribe to our newsletter by emailing us directly for more information at: soulboneliterary@gmail.com.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Fall ’22 Festival
Fall ‘22
Our Fall ‘22 Festival is linked in here. You can also access our page via the button below.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Spring ’22 Festival
Anthology Reading of We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World
Introduced by Carolyn Holbrook, with Anika Fajardo, Ezekiel Joubert III, Mary Moore Easter, and Mona Susan Power.
Read More →
Reading & Master Classes with David Mura
Poet, Fiction Writer, Memoirist, Essayist, and Literary Critic David Mura talks about his new book, A Stranger’s Journey, about craft and race, and about narrative structure.
Read More →
Memorial Reading of the Poetry of Kamilah Aisha Moon
with Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Lynne Thompson, Danusha Laméris, Janlori Goldman, Nathan McClain, Tim Seibles, and maybe Rachel Eliza Griffiths.
Read More →
“I was quite blown away by [the audience’s] reactions. It appears that hearing the words of our anthology writers was both liberating and healing for them. I am so grateful that the readings were felt so deeply. The response was astonishing.”
“This [event] was definitely a blessing. Truly transformative. It was amazing to be in a community with you all. What a beautiful space to be vulnerable and caring.”
Poetry Reading
with Kalpna Singh-Chitnis, Jennifer L. Knox, Nikki Wallschlaeger, and Rustin Larson.
Read More →
Master Class with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Novelist Chitra Divakaruni discusses women’s voices in her work.
Read More →
Poetry Reading
with native poets Linda Noel and Kim Shuck, who invite you warmly to their kitchen-table sharing and discussion.
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“It was amazing to hear writers of so many races, ages, gender identities and orientations share their work during the residency. The balance of subjects and types of writing offered was great. As a poet, I got to hear from many amazing poets but also was pushed to think about writing in other genres.”
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Fall ’21 Festival
Panel: Saying the Unsayable
with novelists Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Eugenia Kim, and Mark Spragg. All three novelists will also teach master classes.
Read More →
Reading
with poets Sara Henning & Erin Elizabeth Smith. Erin is also presenting her press as executive director of Sundress Publications.
Reading & Panel: Diversity & Creativity
with three trans authors: Daniel M. Lavery, Jennifer Espinoza, and Zoë Estelle Hitzel.
Read More →
Master Classes with Debra Marquart
Eco Writing and Exile & Belonging with Iowa’s poet laureate.
Read More →
Creativity Panel
with Loretta Diane Walker, Diane Frank, Prartho Sereno.
Read More →
Discussion with Mark Spragg
Fiction craft talk and Q & A.
Read More →
“It means a lot to know that we connected with our fellow poets. I’ve done a lot of zoom readings, and your group was particularly involved. It was a joy to talk to you all.”
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Spring ’21 Festival
Creativity Workshop:
River Writing & Earth Song
This workshop with Kenny Kolter, musician and sound therapist, and Nynke Passi, poet, was especially designed for our MFA in Creative Writing. The workshop is called "River Writing & Earth Song." It's our invocation at the start of our MFA as you head out on your journey into your own leaping, wild, free, mysterious, wonderful imagination. Read More →
An Afternoon with Molly Fisk
To engage with, understand, and transform traumatic experience--wildfire, cancer, war, childhood abuse, systemic oppressions--we must apply our creativity very specifically to the circumstances. Writing is one of the most useful tools for this purpose. Read More →
California Fire & Water
The reading from this climate crisis anthology includes Molly Fisk, Danusha Daméris, Kim Shuck, and Rafael Gonzalez.
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Reading with Susanne Paola Antonetta
Susanne Paola Antonetta reads from her memoir, The Terrible Unlikelihood of Our Being, and will also offer a workshop on publishing.
Read More →
Master Class with Steven Schneider
This Master Class on the Poetry and Art of the U.S. / Mexico border features the work of Poet Steven Schneider and Artist Reefka Schneider, who are the co-creators of the books and traveling exhibits Borderlines: Drawing Border Lives and The Magic of Mariachi.
Read More →
FROM OUR ARCHIVES:
Soul Bone Spring ‘24
Soul Bone Fall ‘23 | Soul Bone Spring ‘23
Soul Bone Fall ‘22 | Soul Bone Spring ‘22
Soul Bone Fall ‘21 | Soul Bone Spring ‘21
Soul Bone℠ is the service mark of Soul Bone℠, a Limited Liability Company.