A 4 Week Generative Poetry Workshop
Wednesdays, February 1st-22nd
ALL LEVELS
Family connections run deep. Likewise, poetry's deep roots in oral traditions reflect that poetic form is an aid to remembering and telling complex inherited stories. In this workshop, a series of evening meetings extended across a month, we return to this aspect of poetry: its connection with inherited tales, with family knowledge, with the stories of our families that we receive from others and that we create and pass on. We focus on writing poetry reflecting on family: parents, grandparents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, and those who are not biologically kin to us but are just the same our family. Everyone has family but not all family stories are happy stories; we explore how families survive in joy and in suffering. This workshop focuses especially on poetic form, emphasizing ways that poetry differs from memoir and prose. We will study works by Audre Lorde, Robert Hayden, Nikki Giovanni, Marie Howe, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Natasha Tretheway, Natalie Diaz, and others who explore family connections and histories in their poetry. Participants will develop a series of original poems, over the course of four meetings. We will consider the sacredness of family stories and also the limits of that sacredness as our truths are brought into poetic voice.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online via Zoom. Students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. On Thursday, January 26th from 5:30pm to 6:00pm, MWPA staff will offer a tech help session on Zoom. Students are encouraged to attend the tech help session, which usually takes only 5-10 minutes, if they have any tech concerns, use Zoom infrequently, or simply would like to test their connection, and those who do not are responsible for ensuring that they are able to use Zoom on their own. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the test session and the class.
+ REQUIRED EQUIPMENT A reliable, fast internet connection (broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE), speakers & a microphone (built-in or USB plug-in), and a webcam (built-in or USB plug-in).
If you would like to quickly and easily test your internet connection and your computer’s compatibility with Zoom, click HERE. Full details on supported Operating Systems, internet browsers, and more can be found HERE. To download and familiarize yourself with Zoom, click HERE.
Claire Millikin is a poet and scholar based in coastal Maine. Millkin's eight books of poetry include Television (2016), Ransom Street (2019), Transitional Objects (2022), and Dolls, noted as a 2022 semi-finalist for the PSV Poetry Book Award for North American Publishers and Writers. Claire Millikin is a recipient of a 2021 Maine Literary Award as co-editor of the anthology Enough! Poems of Resistance and Protest. Millikin's poems tell family stories drawing from a childhood in the deep South.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact Meghan Sterling at programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-228-8263 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one partial scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Email Meghan at programs@mainewriters.org to see if a scholarship is still available. Application Due on January 18th at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION