Writing New Myths: Speculative Poetry (2-day, online poetry workshop for all levels)
June 17 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
TWO DAY WORKSHOP – THE NEXT SESSION IS JUNE 24
$125
How does the fantastical manifest in poetry? How can elements of the speculative be applied in the context of verse? From time travel and apocalypse, to ghosts and impossible cities, this class will consider how genre tropes and poetry can, and should, collide. We will explore how the impossible can push our writing in new directions, and how it can be used as a lens through which to interrogate concerns that are all too real. This class will focus on generating new material with multiple prompts provided, including thematic and formal. We will read poetry from Shane McCrae, Sally Wen Mao, and Brenda Shaughnessy (amongst others). We will discuss how these writers engage with the unreal and what guidance we can take from them. In addition, we will read excerpts from authors like Italo Calvino and Carmen Maria Machado, to explore how poetry and prose overlap as they delve into the fantastic. My hope is that class discussions of these readings will encourage participants to experiment as they find their own way into the magical, the strange, and the grotesque. The class will conclude with a workshop for newly generated material.
Who should take this class?
This class is intended for poets hoping to expand their craft, as well prose writers looking to explore their genre through poetry.
Contact Barbara Claypole White for more information. bclaypolewhite[at]gmail.com