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TLA Network Virtual Salon

  • 07 April 2024
  • 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM (EDT)
  • Zoom meeting - link to be shared


TLA Network Virtual Salon

Sunday, April 7, 2024

5:00–6:30 pm EDT (UTC-4)

4:00–5:30 pm CDT // 3:00–4:30 pm MDT // 2:00–3:30 pm PDT

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Join us for our first TLAN Virtual Salon of 2024 featuring TLAN members showcasing their creative work!

This event will feature TLAN members, who all use the written, spoken, or sung word for personal and community transformation. TLAN members have incredibly generous spirits, and oftentimes their work in the community overshadows their personal writing and accomplishments. We are excited to provide a venue to feature TLAN members' artistic work to the general audience.

The Virtual Salon is free and open to the public, and will take place online via Zoom. After the reading, there will be an artist talkback and time for questions and engagement from the audience. 

You must register if you would like to attend: a Zoom link will be sent to all registrants the day before the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Our Presenters!

Each presenter will have 5-7 minutes to present their written, spoken, or sung work followed by a brief period of audience response. 

In no particular order:

John Swainston: John L. Swainston started writing poetry to cope with feelings of isolation during COVID. He learned the craft by taking Zoom classes in poetry and writing at Turning Point, a support organization. His first published poem was by Journal of Expressive Writing. He is a Member of the Journal of Expressive Writing, Mystic Poet Society, The Writers Place, and The Kansas City Writers Group. He has had over 30 poems published with three awards: a poem in Veterans’ Voices – received Editor’s Choice Award. His first book of poems, Memory Box, was published spring 2022 (johnswainstonpoet.com). A retired Finance Executive, College Adjunct Professor, and Army Veteran.

Sharon Pajka: Sharon Pajka, PhD, is a professor of English at Gallaudet University. She is the author of Women Writers Buried in Virginia (2021) and The Souls Close to Edgar Allan Poe: Graves of his family, friends, and foes (2023). On the weekends, find her in the cemetery giving history tours or volunteering, as well as running the Virginia Chapter of the Association for Gravestone Studies.



Chad Gurley: A poet and artist, Chad A. Gurley graduated from Vanderbilt Divinity School and Harding University living life's questions. Chad began writing and blogging while living in NYC right before 9/11. After witnessing that tragedy and the trauma of violent loss, Chad began writing poetry and short stories to promote peace, hope, and understanding. Chad’s poems have been published in eMerge Magazine, The Epistle, The Columbia Observer, and a book of LGBT Christians' poetry, Sanctified. “The Stoning of Andrew,” his fiction short story, was a nominee for storySouth's 2006 Millions Writers Award.

Oyah! Oyah! Is a Transformative Language Artist, Soothesayer and Inspirational Speaker whose words and rhythmic voice provide an easy road to travel through the difficult stories she tells.






Tanya LewisTanya Lewis loves words and playing with language. She believes authenticity and imagination are superpowers. As a writer, editor, and researcher her professional work has won multiple awards, including two Folio Awards for editorial excellence. Her creative work includes poetry and Moth-style true stories. She also has studied and performed improv in New York City at Improvolution and Magnet Theater, and at BATS Improv in San Francisco. Recently she has been immersed in exploring ways in which poetry and reflections on word meaning can support trauma recovery. She is committed to using creativity to inspire, empower, and uplift. 

Emilee Baum: Emilee is a researcher and writer based in Atlanta, GA. A former chair of the TLA Network, she was introduced to TLA at Goddard College where she completed her MA in Embodiment Studies. She is continuing her studies in Expressive Arts at the European Graduate School in Switzerland. Her book The Agency of Bliss was published in 2012.


Autumn Konopka: Autumn Konopka is an award-winning writer, a runner, and a trauma-informed teaching artist. A former poet laureate of Montgomery County, PA (2016), Autumn’s poetry chapbook a chain of paperdolls was published in 2014, and her debut novel Pheidippides Didn’t Die was released in 2023. 


The TLA Network exists to support and promote individuals and organizations that use the spoken, written, or sung word as a tool for personal and community transformation.


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