Spring 2008 Workshops at Writers & Books

Poetry

The Poem as Story: Writing the Lyric Narrative 

WA8-P02
1 Saturday 1–4 p.m.
March 29
$35 W&B members / $39 general public
Instructor: Patricia Roth Schwartz

Explore the flexibility and richness of this unique form that combines the narrative with the hallmarks of lyric poetry—brevity, sound, imagery, and style—to create a story-line complete with characterizations. Learn from the narrative poems of Robert Browning, Robert Frost, Joan Murray, William Heyen, B. H. Fairchild, Suzanne Owens, Lola Haskins and others. Participants will write a narrative poem of their own working from a series of in-class exercises.

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Writing Nature Poetry: Tuning in to the Untamed 

WA8-P05
1 Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 
Apr. 19
$56 W&B members / $59 general public
Instructor: Karla Linn Merrifield

This workshop will provide poets with a toolkit they can use to embrace nature in their writing and get some real, immediate, and essential practice using those tools in the scenic, natural surroundings of the Gell Center. Participants should bring a notebook, a journal if they keep one, a digital camera (optional), and any poems they’ve written about nature that they would like to work on or share with the group. Bring snacks or a bagged lunch, and come prepared to enjoy nature and explore creativity.

Course Canceled

Stone by Stone: Assembling a Poetry Manuscript

WA8-P07
2 Wednesdays, 7–9 p.m.
Apr. 2 through 9
$45 members/ $52 general public
Instructor: Steven Huff

You’ve published some poems, you’ve written a lot more, and now you’re thinking about a chapbook or even a full-length book manuscript. The instructor will take you through some tried and true methods of assembling your work: manuscript mechanics, deciding what to include or leave out, and building a manuscript that will catch an editor’s eye. He will give you a behind-the-scenes look at how publishing works, and how to approach a publisher.

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Sources and Forces: A Poem-Starter Workshop.

SA8-P01
1 Saturday 10 a.m. –noon
April 19
$32 W&B members / $35 general public
Instructor: Edward Dougherty

For new or experienced poets, this gathering explores various sources for poems from memory to direct sensory observation, and from imagination to language play. The emphasis will be on exercises followed by quick-write responses to emphasize the variety of approaches. Relaxing and fast-paced, the atmosphere will be interactive.

Course Canceled

Self Portraits and Landscapes

SA8-P02
Saturday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m (including lunch-break)
June 21
$45 W&B members / $48 general public
Instructor: Edward Dougherty

Renew your imagery, adopt personae, and find new subject matter for your poems. This workshop focuses on responding to paintings and photographs. Beginning with honing skills of observation for imagery and then making the poems that shift from viewer to characters. We will explore the various "vantage points" of a poem by doing exercises that spring from particular pieces of art. Some exercises would be shared so all the participants would respond to that same visual prompt, while others would be self-selected. Bring two examples of favorite photos and/or paintings.

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Delving into Poetry

SA8-P03
1 Saturday, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.
June 7
$35 W&B members/ $39 general public
Instructor: Sally Bittner Bonn

Have you always enjoyed reading poetry but have been afraid to write it? Do you want to get back to poetry after a long absence? Are you are writer in another genre and want to try your hand at poetry? This one-day workshop will explore what makes poetry different from other genres. In-class writing exercises, as well as readings of published poetry, will get creativity flowing. You will be given resources to further your exploration beyond the workshop. 

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Poetry : The Style of Poets / The Power of Nature

SA8-P04
6 Mondays 7-9 p.m. (no class may 26- Memorial Day)
May 5 through June 9
$100 W&B members / $110 general public
Instructor: Ron Bailey

This course is designed for folks who have written some poetry already, but but still might think of themselves as “somewhat new to it.”  Each week, you will have written, and brought copies of something to "workshop" with the group.  Your feedback will be constructive and supportive.  We will look at a techniques by published poets that suggests to us at least one way to model a poem.  At the same time, we will try to focus on some element of Nature that you value as the central theme or topic.  We will always emphasize the use of our senses, the strength of the images we create, and the sounds we use.

Course Canceled

The Conversation of Art: Beginning Poetry Workshop

SA8-P05
6 Thursdays 7-9 p.m.
May 1 through June 5
$100 W&B members / $110 general public
Instructor: D. M. Ferguson

Poetry, like all art, is a conversation, a joint creation of writer and reader. If you feel it's time to stop talking to yourself, this workshop will help you join in a helpful and instructive dialogue. Technical matters such as line breaks and poetic forms will be introduced, but our emphasis will be on developing the skills of self-critique and revision, as well as the pleasure of reading one another's work. Please bring 10 copies of a poem to the first class to share with other workshop members.

Course Canceled

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