Poetry Workshop

In this workshop, we will focus on ways of seeing and on how “sight” works in relation to the creative process—particularly to poetry and writing. Students will participate in workshops that will balance exercises geared to generate new writing, as well as in in-class group workshops. Exercises will involve mixed-media prompts—brief flirtations with film, visual arts, photography and sound, class-generated dares, and close readings of life. In vigorous fellowship with poetry and essays related to the task of writing itself, we will challenge intuition, craft, and the imagination. We will focus on understanding and enriching creative rituals for ourselves and our writing. Openness is the utterance. Conference time will focus on further individual work and revision; each student should be prepared to lead an engaging class discussion on some aspect of creativity and the imagination in relation to poetry. Students will be expected to create a folio of discovery by the end of the semester.