Name: Writing as Cultural Archaeology and the Poetics of Place
Start: 2026-04-07T18:30:00-05:00
End: 2026-04-07T19:30:00-05:00
Location: 781 Pearson St, Des Plaines, IL, United States, Illinois 60016

Writing as Cultural Archaeology and the Poetics of Place

In this program, artist and writer Michael Workman invites audiences to explore how writing, history, and landscape intersect to shape cultural memory. Workman approaches writing as a form of cultural archaeology—an excavation of the layered relationships between language, identity, and place. Through this lens, participants are encouraged to see the local environment not only as a backdrop but as a living archive of stories, gestures, and voices that continue to inform community life across Illinois.
Blending storytelling, performance, and reflective discussion, Workman leads participants through accessible exercises that connect observation, movement, and writing.
By the end of the program, attendees will have produced short fragments of writing and new ways of perceiving their environment—connecting artistic practice to civic imagination.