Nalo Hopkinson writes, “The purpose of fiction [or poetry] is to cast a spell–to create the momentary illusion that we are living in the world of the story [or poem].” In this workshop, we’ll discuss what tools are at our disposal as writers and poets to cast this spell through reading and discussing published poems and writing our own work focused on generating imagery. This workshop focuses on poetry, but could be applied to any genre.  Participants will be invited, but not required, to share their original work. No prior knowledge of poetry or writing experience is required. 

Everyone wants to write in a way that’s original and effective–but this is easier said than done. In this workshop, we’ll read poetry that effectively uses metaphors to create inviting, original, and thought-provoking work and complete writing exercises to help generate and expand metaphors of our own. This workshop focuses on poetry, but could be applied to any genre. Participants will be invited, but not required, to share their original work. No prior knowledge of poetry or writing experience is required. 

Unlike prose, sentences in poetry don’t run all the way to the end of the page. The poet chooses where the line ends. But why do they end where they do? This workshop will shed light on the sometimes mysterious world of poetic lineation. We’ll begin to examine the various (and really very cool) ways lines contribute to a poem’s rhythm, music, and even meaning through reading published work and experimenting with lines in our own writing. Participants will be invited, but not required, to share their original work. No prior knowledge of poetry or writing experience is required. 

You may have heard of various poetic verse forms, like the sonnet or the villanelle. In this workshop, we’ll look at a couple traditional forms that are still being used by poets today. We’ll read both older poems and contemporary poems that use these forms, learn about the history of the forms, and work on a writing prompt that will help you start writing in the forms yourself. Participants will be invited, but not required, to share their original work. No prior knowledge of poetry or writing experience is required. 

In this workshop, we’ll take a look at some newly invented poetic forms. In addition to reading examples, we’ll learn how and why the form was created and do some of our own writing. Participants will be invited, but not required, to share their original work. No prior knowledge of poetry or experience writing is required.