A Poetry Workshop
According to poet Marie Howe, poetry is “a cup of language to hold what can’t be said.” She explains, “Every poem holds the unspeakable inside it. The unsayable….” Using Matthew Olzmann’s piece, “For a Recently Discovered Shipwreck at the Bottom of Lake Michigan,” as a springboard, this poetry seminar will closely examine craft approaches that writers use to reveal complex emotional truths.
Olzmann’s piece demonstrates the power of the epistolary mode to reveal what Howe calls the deep “silence” at the heart of writing. Participants will also discuss and unpack the following: the use of metaphor in Robert Frost’s “After Apple-Picking” and Ellen Bryant Voigt’s “Excerpt from Kyrie”; the effect of parable in Brigit Pegeen Kelly’s “Song”; and Rick Barot’s repetition, variation, and cinematic moves in “Tarp.” They will investigate how craft elements work in concert to reveal emotional truths to readers and convey the unsayable.
Participants should bring draft notes about an elusive or frustrating topic in their own work and can expect in-class prompts designed to help them re-envision their material.
PLEASE NOTE: This workshop will occur online, using the video meeting platform Zoom, which means students may participate from the comfort of their own homes (or anywhere with a reliable, fast internet connection). The week before the workshop, students will be emailed links that they may click to enter each class. Students will not be required to create a Zoom account to participate, however it will be necessary to download the software, and students are strongly advised to do so in advance of the first class. On Tuesday, April 28, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, MWPA’s Hannah Perry will offer a one-hour remote test session. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the test session, and those who do not are responsible for setup and installation on their own.
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: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115002262083-How-Do-I-Test-Prior-to-Joining-a-Meeting- Full details on supported Operating Systems, internet browsers, and more can be found here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362023-System-Requirements-for-PC-Mac-and-Linux
Dilruba Ahmed is the author of Bring Now the Angels (Pitt Poetry Series, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020). Her debut book of poetry, Dhaka Dust (Graywolf Press), won the Bakeless Prize. Her poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Kenyon Review, New England Review, Ploughshares, and Poetry. Her poems have also been anthologized in The Best American Poetry 2019 (Scribner), Halal If You Hear Me (Haymarket Books), Literature: The Human Experience (Bedford/St. Martin’s), Indivisible: An Anthology of Contemporary South Asian American Poetry (University of Arkansas), and elsewhere. Ahmed is the recipient of The Florida Review’s Editors’ Award, a Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Prize, and the Katharine Bakeless Nason Fellowship in Poetry awarded by the Bread Loaf Writers Conference. She holds degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Warren Wilson College’s MFA Program for Writers. VISIT dilrubaahmed.com
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via PayPal. 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.
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact Hannah Perry at hannah@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 the registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer two full scholarships to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due on April 20 at 9:00 a.m.
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