TEA CEREMONY: Scattering the Seeds of Resistance

A ceremony where poets read the works of martyred voices over tea and scatter wildflower word-seeds in their honor.

Join us in honoring poets Renee Good and Refaat Alareer. Martyred for their beliefs, identities, and actions, both left legacies of bravery and creativity, and an ever-expanding voice that is impossible to silence. In our stripped-away lands, repopulating plants that feed native species is an act of resistance and love – just like poetry. Come gather and bear witness with us as we read poems and create community over warm drinks. You’ll leave with a Blue Aster wildflower packet to carry their memory, spread their joy, and sow their words in your community.

Scattering the Seeds of Resistance is a 2026 Triangle Poetry Festival experience in collaboration with NC Botanical Garden. Be sure to check out the full weekend of other great programming at Triangle Poetry Festival, celebrating the artists, the heart-leading advocates, and the movers in the margins. 

About the Host:

Angelica Whitehorne

Angelica Whitehorne is a writer living in Durham, NC who has published work in over 60 literary journals with forthcoming work in The Round, Meetinghouse Magazine, JMWW, Folio Literary Journal, RHINO, and Poetry South, among others. She is the author of the chapbook, The World Is Ending, Say Something That Will Last (Bottle Cap Press, 2022) and the micro-chap, Digital (R)age (Ghost City Press, 2025). Besides being a devastated poet, Angelica is a Marketing Content Writer for a clean energy loan company and the Community Engagement Chair for the Third Angle Poets collective. She holds pollinators, legumes, and her eight-pound Yorkiepoo in the highest regard. You can find more of her work on Instagram at a.w.ords and on her website: angelicawhitehorne.com

About the Poets in Memoriam:

Refaat Alareer was a Palestinian writer, poet, professor, and activist from the Gaza Strip. He taught literature and creative writing at the Islamic University of Gaza and co-founded the organization We Are Not Numbers, which matched experienced authors with young writers in Gaza and promoted the power of storytelling as a means of Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation. Alareer was killed on December 6, 2023, by an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza, along with his brother, sister, and four of his nephews.

Renée Nicole Macklin Good was a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, mother of three, and poet who lived in Minneapolis. Good studied creative writing at Old Dominion University in Virginia and was awarded the school’s poetry prize in 2020. She was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on January 7, 2026, while protesting the presence of ICE in her community.

Triangle Poetry Festival is a Third Angle Poets Production.

About Third Angle Poets at Boxyard RTP:

Founded in 2024, Third Angle Poets is a collective of seasoned arts organizers from across the Triangle. In partnership with Boxyard RTP, Third Angle creates one-of-a-kind interactive events for poets and changemakers to share their voice, hone their craft, and collaborate for social good – including the quarterly Poets’ Playground series and Triangle Poetry Festival. By showcasing poetry, we seek to foster vulnerability and trust. By catalyzing conversations between artists and activists, we help meet the immediate- and long-term needs of our community—while fueling our souls.

Note: By participating in this event, you consent to the recording of your likeness, image, and/or voice and authorize Boxyard RTP to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing your likeness, image, and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

Got questions? Send us an email at hello@boxyardrtp.com.