Writing with the "I Am" Present

You are welcome to attend any or all three writing workshops led by Austin's own Poet Laureate Zell Miller III. Zell will lead a different topic each month. No previous experience is required. 

• Writing with the "I Am" Present, Monday, 9/21
• Writing From the Child Inside, Monday, 10/19
• Making Words Dance with Music, Monday, 11/16

About the Presenter:

Zell Miller III is the inaugural Poet Laureate of Austin, Texas, an award- winning interdisciplinary theater artist, playwright, Producing Artistic Director of Black Rose Theater ATX, and performer whose work explores identity, culture, and the human experience. Named Best Poet/Writer by The Austin Chronicle (2004) and inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame (2017), he is a leading voice in contemporary American arts. A nationally and internationally touring artist, he has opened for Nikki Giovanni and The Last Poets, and appeared on PBS and KVUE News. He is an award-winning instructor and has worked with youth for over twenty six years. As a playwright and director, he has created thirteen full-length award-winning productions, including Chronicles of an Indigenous Offspring, My Child, My Child, My Alien Child, and Up Hoodies Down, and is a recipient of the David Mark Cohen Playwright Award. Rooted in a jazz aesthetic, his work blends poetry, theater, and movement to spark dialogue, connection, and social change. His work has appeared in several publications, but he is most proud of his first book of poetry, Austin Indigenous Offspring on 310 Brown Street Publishing, which was featured in The Austin Chronicle as a 2026 Summer read. Zell was selected as a featured author for Austin’s African-American Book Festival and the upcoming 2026 Texas Book Festival.

The Badgerdog Creative Writing program includes workshops for all ages, classroom-based lessons, and youth camps to inspire and guide our up-and-coming writers. Badgerdog is a program of The Library Foundation, which offers a range of enriching cultural and educational community programs for all ages in close partnership with the library.