Jazz Poetry with John Roche
Saturday, October 24, 2026 10 am - 4 pm
Jazz ignited an astonishing cultural shift in the post-WW1 era, and did so again in the post-WW2 era. Jazz allusions and “hipster” idioms even invaded the verse of “page poets” like T.S. Eliot and Hart Crane, but jazz’s greatest literary impact was in the creation of a new kind of performance poetry.
We’ll look at Jazz poets and Jazz lyricists from the Harlem Renaissance to the BeBop & Beat scene, to the 1960s Black Liberation Poets, and beyond. Including figures like Langston Hughes, Cab Calloway, “hipsemantic” comedian Lord Buckley, Slim Gaillard and his “Vout-o-Reenee" dictionary, Kenneth Rexroth, Jack Kerouac (with Steve Allen), “Word Jazz” artist Ken Nordine, Bob Dorough (with Miles Davis), Bob Kaufman, Robert Creeley (with Steve Swallow and Sheila Jordan), Amiri Baraka (with David Murray and Steve McCall), Jayne Cortez (with The Firespitters), John Sinclair, David Meltzer and Michael Rothenberg (Rockpile). Janine Pommy Vega, Sun Ra, Joy Harjo (with Poetic Justice), the Last Poets, and Gil Scott Heron.
And we’ll try our hands at a couple of Jazz-inspired poems. This is a writing-inspired class with ample time to write poems in class and share with the group.
John Roche lives in Placitas, New Mexico, helping Jules Nyquist run Jules’ Poetry Playhouse and edit Poetry Playhouse Publications. His latest poetry collection is Tubbables, which is a NM-AZ Book Award Finalist. Other books include On Conesus, Topicalities, Road Ghosts, The Joe Poems: The Continuing Saga of Joe the Poet, and Joe Rides Again: Further Adventures of Joe the Poet. He has also created and edited the five-volume Poets Speak series (Trumped, Hers, Water, Walls and Survival) and other anthologies (including Mo' Joe). Dr. Roche taught Literature and Creative Writing classes for decades at various colleges and teaches at Jules’ Poetry Playhouse and has done workshops for the New Mexico State Poetry Society. He was formerly President of Just Poets in Rochester, NY, a member of the board of BOA Editions, chief organizer of the Black Mountain North Symposium, and an instigator of the annual Cloudburst Council poets' retreat in the Finger Lakes. John Roche and Poetry Playhouse sign photos by Auxarczen Photography. All other photos by Jules Nyquist.
Limit 10 students.
Doors open 9:30 am - please be ready for class by 10 am.
Class will have a working lunch break on-site. Bring a lunch (optional), and we will provide snacks and beverages. Typically, this includes coffee, tea, water, bagels, chips/salsa, cookies, gluten-free crackers, fruit, etc.
Class runs until 4 pm. During breaks you may want to enjoy the grounds of Jules’ Poetry Playhouse including the labyrinth.
Class will include handouts. Free wi-fi.
Jules’ Poetry Playhouse is at 11 Homestead Lane, Placitas, NM. Directions will be sent upon registration. No refunds; however, you may apply the fee to another class or merchandise if you need to cancel.
Questions? email jules@poetryplayhouse.com
Jazz Poetry with John Roche
Saturday, October 24, 2026 10 am - 4 pm
Jazz ignited an astonishing cultural shift in the post-WW1 era, and did so again in the post-WW2 era. Jazz allusions and “hipster” idioms even invaded the verse of “page poets” like T.S. Eliot and Hart Crane, but jazz’s greatest literary impact was in the creation of a new kind of performance poetry.
We’ll look at Jazz poets and Jazz lyricists from the Harlem Renaissance to the BeBop & Beat scene, to the 1960s Black Liberation Poets, and beyond. Including figures like Langston Hughes, Cab Calloway, “hipsemantic” comedian Lord Buckley, Slim Gaillard and his “Vout-o-Reenee" dictionary, Kenneth Rexroth, Jack Kerouac (with Steve Allen), “Word Jazz” artist Ken Nordine, Bob Dorough (with Miles Davis), Bob Kaufman, Robert Creeley (with Steve Swallow and Sheila Jordan), Amiri Baraka (with David Murray and Steve McCall), Jayne Cortez (with The Firespitters), John Sinclair, David Meltzer and Michael Rothenberg (Rockpile). Janine Pommy Vega, Sun Ra, Joy Harjo (with Poetic Justice), the Last Poets, and Gil Scott Heron.
And we’ll try our hands at a couple of Jazz-inspired poems. This is a writing-inspired class with ample time to write poems in class and share with the group.
John Roche lives in Placitas, New Mexico, helping Jules Nyquist run Jules’ Poetry Playhouse and edit Poetry Playhouse Publications. His latest poetry collection is Tubbables, which is a NM-AZ Book Award Finalist. Other books include On Conesus, Topicalities, Road Ghosts, The Joe Poems: The Continuing Saga of Joe the Poet, and Joe Rides Again: Further Adventures of Joe the Poet. He has also created and edited the five-volume Poets Speak series (Trumped, Hers, Water, Walls and Survival) and other anthologies (including Mo' Joe). Dr. Roche taught Literature and Creative Writing classes for decades at various colleges and teaches at Jules’ Poetry Playhouse and has done workshops for the New Mexico State Poetry Society. He was formerly President of Just Poets in Rochester, NY, a member of the board of BOA Editions, chief organizer of the Black Mountain North Symposium, and an instigator of the annual Cloudburst Council poets' retreat in the Finger Lakes. John Roche and Poetry Playhouse sign photos by Auxarczen Photography. All other photos by Jules Nyquist.
Limit 10 students.
Doors open 9:30 am - please be ready for class by 10 am.
Class will have a working lunch break on-site. Bring a lunch (optional), and we will provide snacks and beverages. Typically, this includes coffee, tea, water, bagels, chips/salsa, cookies, gluten-free crackers, fruit, etc.
Class runs until 4 pm. During breaks you may want to enjoy the grounds of Jules’ Poetry Playhouse including the labyrinth.
Class will include handouts. Free wi-fi.
Jules’ Poetry Playhouse is at 11 Homestead Lane, Placitas, NM. Directions will be sent upon registration. No refunds; however, you may apply the fee to another class or merchandise if you need to cancel.
Questions? email jules@poetryplayhouse.com
Image 1 of 5
Image 2 of 5
Image 3 of 5
Image 4 of 5
Image 5 of 5
