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Weekend of July 2-4, 2010

The Esalen Institute
Workshop Hosted by Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo

This workshop is for both beginning and experienced writers, slam poets, actors, and non-writers who seek to discover the empowering medium of poetry. Through group exercises and nightly jam ciphers, participants will form a fertile environment to express their creative poetic soul.

Writing can become a spiritual exploration that brings you into contact with your authentic voice. The aim of this workshop is to bring each participant face to face with the invincible spirit of his or her own being. Weave a spellbinding tale, tell the burning story or poem that will tap into the genius and beauty inside of you, lifting you into greater self-expression, passion, freedom, and joy. Here we experience deliberate spiritual nourishment and poetic powers to recharge our spirits, bodies, and hearts.

Please note: On July 3rd there will be a property-wide celebration with live entertainment. This event is open to the public.

Reservations Information (Accommodations & Pricing)

IYEOKA is a lover of the usual–anything in full bloom, crescent moons, summer rain, miracles, most fellas named David, lazy days in June, ALL usages of the smiley face emoticon, good movies, beagles in need of a little love and a lot of exercise, soulful melodies, skinny dippers, electric blankets in the winter, happily ever after endings, watching a beautiful woman dive into an ocean and a truly brave man dive after her, poems that begin at the end, poems with clever beginnings, subliminal morals in a story, and catching side glances of thunder and rainbows in waterfalls;

IYEOKA is the sworn enemy of the ugly side of beauty, dirty underwear, MTV’s Real World except for the very first one that was the one and only REAL real world, permanent frowns–although she believes she can turn them upside down with her don’t worry be happy songs, general mud throwers and stereotypes that all Nigerians are 419 scam cons.

Born and raised in the heart of Boston by two very deep rooted Nigerian parents, Iyeoka learned from an early age the value of education and the poison of poverty, the meaning of words like hope and change and the power we have to manifest the change you were hoping for.

Now on her third installment to her life’s work, she writes deep, lyrical, catchy, soul-baring music that has drawn comparisons to the timbre of Sade and the thirst of a young undiscovered Nina Simone. She has two independent releases under her belt, 2004’s LP “Black and Blues”; 2008’s LP “Hum the Bass Line”, both produced by Francis Phan; and Fall 2009 releases of 2 of 3 EP’s leading to her third full length project, a self-titled debut album with independent label Underground Sun Records.

On the eve of mainstream recognition, Iyeoka’s newest single “The Yellow Brick Road Song”, produced by composer David Franz and recently placed in the third episode of HBO’s newest series “How To Make It In America”, embodies the raw philosophies of a hopeless optimist highlighting messages to the world that “…I know just how possible we are, we can follow our own yellow brick road. And there’s no tornado that can stop us now!”

Iyeoka is currently recording songs between Boston and LA while traveling to distances near and far offering her music and poetry for a living.

The Yellow Brick Road song by Iyeoka

more music here:

http://www.jango.com/music/IYEOKA

i’m thinking about my mother as I’m writing this. last poem i wrote for my mother was over 10 years ago. I spoke about her hands. she loved that poem. Now that I know her so much better—I can smile at memories that I used to remember differently. i see you now mommy.

___________________________________________________________

i’m a traveler

i travel for love

to love

in search of–

pulled by it

i make it

with moments

i inherited my spirit

from my mother Aminetu.

She journeyed to the US

from Nigeria for love.

she claims for education

i say she did it for love

she loves him

Daddy needed to be challenged by an educated woman

So she gave birth to 4 children–this self made woman

She managed to achieve the highest degree in her field of education.

I call her Doctor Mommy sometimes. She loves that. My mom is just like me—

full of passion, chases rainbows like it’s her undercover mission.

She taught me how to survive everything.

She prays for me often.

I love that.

She makes me feel like

I

am

in good

hands