Aug 10: POETRY WORKSHOP WITH ALA KHAKI: Poet as an Unacknowledged Legislator of the World
Date/Time
Date(s) - August 10, 2025
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location
Grappone Humanities Center
Categories
Poet as an Unacknowledged Legislator of the World
A POETRY WORKSHOP WITH ALA KHAKI TO EXPLORE POETRY AS AN
INSPIRATION AND VOICE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND CHANGE
Date/Time: August 10, 2025; 10-4 pm
Location: St. Anselm College, Grappone Humanities Center (Next to the Visitors Parking Lot. Look for the smokestack.)
Cost: All proceeds go directly to support PSNH’s nonprofit mission.
- Members: $100 – purchase here
- Non-members: $150 – purchase here (fee includes a 1-year PSNH membership)
Poetry has been an instrument of defiance, resistance, and
revolution for millennia. Poets began to chisel indelible poetic images that resonated with the deepest cords of human emotions during times of suffering. This poetry transcends time, as tyranny of one form or another remains part of human existence. From slave revolts of ancient times, to the revolutions of the last few centuries, to the progressive movements of modern times—poetry has been a voice for and an instigator of change. It has inspired societies to act against social injustice and fostered profound social and legal reforms around the world. It is in this context that Percy Shelly proclaims, “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.”
The first half of this workshop is a conversation on the
elements of effective social poetry, with examples from
prominent American and international poets. Participants are encouraged to bring a poem of their own that they feel aligns with the workshop theme to share, as we will focus on participants’ own works during the second half.
Ala Khaki / Biography
Ala Khaki is an Iranian American poet, residing in Amherst, New
Hampshire, with his beloved soulmate and poet Melanie Chicoine. He is
the author of four poetry collections, two in Farsi, “Sahar Khani” (Calling
the Dawn) and “Az Inja Ta Tolou” (From Here to Sunrise), and two in English, “Remembrances – A Poetic Memoir of Life as a Political Prisoner in Iran” (Bee Monk Press), and Return (BookSurge Publishing).
Ala Khaki was imprisoned twice for his poetry in Iran. In 1978, his first book “From Here to Sunrise,” before being distributed by the publisher, was destroyed by the Iranian Secret Police. Ala Khaki’s poems have appeared in Iranian literary journals including The Book Review, Par (Feather),
and Thought and Imagination, and in American poetry periodicals and anthologies, including Worcester
Review, The Poets’ Touchstone, the 2010 Poets’ Guide to New Hampshire, Covid Spring, and Visual
Verse.
In 1981, Ala Khaki was the subject of a documentary film titled “Resident Exile” by the celebrated
documentary filmmaker and director Ross McElwee. He has been a feature in numerous poetry events
including the New England Poetry Conference, the New Hampshire Poet Showcase, and The Hoot. He
served as an officer on the Board of Directors of the Poetry Society of New Hampshire (2015-2020), and
as its president (2020-2022). He continues to read throughout New England.