Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Are you at a loss for fresh ideas for your writing when you put pen to paper or finger to keyboard? In this workshop, participants will discuss poems that have employed wordplay (abcedarians, glosas, centos, anyone?) and other techniques, then use them to energize their ailing poems or to jumpstart new ones. The instructor will bring a mini-anthology filled with the work of much-loved poets such as Natasha Trethewey and Yusef Komunyaaka and lesser-known poets for participants to discuss. Participants will use the poems read to generate new work; participants should bring paper & pen/pencil or laptop & plan to share in session. Be prepared to engage in some writing exercises, as well as giving and receiving brief and positive feedback of one another’s work. Together, magic will happen!
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online via Zoom and is 12-4 pm Eastern Standard Time. 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 6, 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.
In February 2021, Lynne Thompson was appointed Poet Laureate for the City of Los Angeles. She is the author of Start With a Small Guitar and Beg No Pardon, winner of the Perugia Book Award and the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s New Writers Award, and Fretwork, winner of the Marsh Hawk Poetry Prize in 2018. A Pushcart Prize nominee and widely published, Thompson’s poem “She talk like this `cause me Mum born elsewhere, say” was included in 2020 Best American Poetry. Thompson sits on the Boards of Cave Canem and the Los Angeles Review of Books and chairs the Board of Trustees at her alma mater, Scripps College.
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 full scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due on January 4 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