The LIPFest Craft and Development Lab is a four-month virtual program of craft and professional development for poets, spoken word artists, and writers from Nigeria, across Africa, and the diaspora. The Lab is designed for early- to mid-career writers with active projects in development: manuscripts, spoken word albums, poetry films, stage works, and other long-form creative work that requires sustained engagement, critique, and support.
Over four months, participants will work closely with a faculty of established writers and practitioners through facilitated workshops, one-on-one mentorship, peer critique, and professional development conversations focused on building a sustainable creative practice. The Lab is an attempt to build the kind of infrastructure many writers often have to search for elsewhere: sustained mentorship, rigorous conversation, artistic community, and practical support around the work itself.
Participants of LIPFest Craft and Development Lab Will Receive:
- In-depth craft and career development sessions
- One-on-one mentorship
- Access to an experienced international faculty
- A rigorous peer community
- Portfolio Development Grant opportunities
- Showcase opportunities connected to LIPFest and partner festivals