Heather Bowlan is a writer, artist, and content professional.
Writing
My poetry and criticism have appeared in the anthology Feminisms in Motion, the journals New Ohio Review, Nashville Review, the Anarchist Review of Books, the Ploughshares blog, and elsewhere. I have served as an editor for BOAAT Press and Raleigh Review and as the Operations Coordinator for the 215 Festival. I completed my MFA in Creative Writing at North Carolina State University and have received fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Vermont Studio Center.
I'm also a content and copywriter, editor, fundraiser, and project manager, with expertise in writing content strategies; short- and long-form buyer journey assets; webpage, email, social, and ad copy; and direct mail and grant proposals. I'm experienced in crafting language and product materials and training staff in sales and messaging. I've worked with major publishers, tech sites, B2B, and academic researchers, often at the same time. I love language and delivering a clear message--no matter the medium.
Visual Art
I have been creating mixed-media collages for five years and have recently begun showing my work in Philadelphia. My collages are inspired by (with one series named after) the idea of precarious survival, a term coined by anthropologist Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing that challenges capitalist ideas of individual selves. People are enmeshed in our shared histories, and this awareness opens possibilities for community transformation. View examples of my work here.
Since December 2023, I’ve served as Co-Director of the Philadelphia Small Works Gallery in Fishtown, organizing and hosting exhibitions, workshops, readings, and performances by Philly-based artists. We're a space for people who build community through work that reveals our obsessions, resists oppression, and celebrates our complex connections. Visit our website or follow us on Instagram.
Upcoming
September 8, 2024: re:claim, a site-specific poetry and music performance at Germantown’s Hansberry Garden with violinist Melinda Rice, as part of an ongoing collaboration. More details and ticket link here.
Watch last year’s re:claim performance at Laurel Hill East here.
