Poets Respond: The Role of Poetry in a Mutilated World
Dates: July 7 - August 10
Format: Hybrid (more info)
In “Asphodel, That Greeny Flower” William Carlos Wiliams tells us:
It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there.
Still, poetry may be one of the most accurate places to get the news these days—the news of humanity—and the only way some of us can respond to the world in which we are living: this burning, freezing, flooded with disinformation, volatile, yet achingly beautiful world. I’ve been thinking about Adam Zagajewski’s poem these past weeks, “Try to Praise the Mutilated World.” I’ve also been reminded of Noor Hindi’s poem “Fuck Your Lecture on Craft, My People Are Dying.” Both are more timely than ever.
It has been said that a poem can’t stop a bullet, this is, in the material sense, true enough, but we know that there is power in the written word. Why else would book bannings and censorship be on the rise? Why would poets be imprisoned and murdered by totalitarian regimes? An advocate of the power of poetry I heard recently said (I’m paraphrasing here) that we must stop saying: so and so was imprisoned, but all he did was write a poem. A poem is no small thing. Using language to prevent erasure of our humanity is no small thing. It is an act of hope and generosity. Often it is an act of resistance and courage. I believe it is always an act of love.
This five-week, generative, hybrid workshop will include five, generative 90-minute Zoom sessions for those who can attend, supported with weekly online generative exercises, example poems, craft discussions, and light instructor critique. Additionally, comprehensive instructor critiques will be provided on two works-in-progress of your choice. The focus of each week will be reading and writing poetry in response to the events of our lives and the world, big and small. My aim is to create a supportive space where we can do this together.
Dates: July 7 - August 10
Format: Hybrid (more info)
In “Asphodel, That Greeny Flower” William Carlos Wiliams tells us:
It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there.
Still, poetry may be one of the most accurate places to get the news these days—the news of humanity—and the only way some of us can respond to the world in which we are living: this burning, freezing, flooded with disinformation, volatile, yet achingly beautiful world. I’ve been thinking about Adam Zagajewski’s poem these past weeks, “Try to Praise the Mutilated World.” I’ve also been reminded of Noor Hindi’s poem “Fuck Your Lecture on Craft, My People Are Dying.” Both are more timely than ever.
It has been said that a poem can’t stop a bullet, this is, in the material sense, true enough, but we know that there is power in the written word. Why else would book bannings and censorship be on the rise? Why would poets be imprisoned and murdered by totalitarian regimes? An advocate of the power of poetry I heard recently said (I’m paraphrasing here) that we must stop saying: so and so was imprisoned, but all he did was write a poem. A poem is no small thing. Using language to prevent erasure of our humanity is no small thing. It is an act of hope and generosity. Often it is an act of resistance and courage. I believe it is always an act of love.
This five-week, generative, hybrid workshop will include five, generative 90-minute Zoom sessions for those who can attend, supported with weekly online generative exercises, example poems, craft discussions, and light instructor critique. Additionally, comprehensive instructor critiques will be provided on two works-in-progress of your choice. The focus of each week will be reading and writing poetry in response to the events of our lives and the world, big and small. My aim is to create a supportive space where we can do this together.
Dates: July 7 - August 10
Format: Hybrid (more info)
In “Asphodel, That Greeny Flower” William Carlos Wiliams tells us:
It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there.
Still, poetry may be one of the most accurate places to get the news these days—the news of humanity—and the only way some of us can respond to the world in which we are living: this burning, freezing, flooded with disinformation, volatile, yet achingly beautiful world. I’ve been thinking about Adam Zagajewski’s poem these past weeks, “Try to Praise the Mutilated World.” I’ve also been reminded of Noor Hindi’s poem “Fuck Your Lecture on Craft, My People Are Dying.” Both are more timely than ever.
It has been said that a poem can’t stop a bullet, this is, in the material sense, true enough, but we know that there is power in the written word. Why else would book bannings and censorship be on the rise? Why would poets be imprisoned and murdered by totalitarian regimes? An advocate of the power of poetry I heard recently said (I’m paraphrasing here) that we must stop saying: so and so was imprisoned, but all he did was write a poem. A poem is no small thing. Using language to prevent erasure of our humanity is no small thing. It is an act of hope and generosity. Often it is an act of resistance and courage. I believe it is always an act of love.
This five-week, generative, hybrid workshop will include five, generative 90-minute Zoom sessions for those who can attend, supported with weekly online generative exercises, example poems, craft discussions, and light instructor critique. Additionally, comprehensive instructor critiques will be provided on two works-in-progress of your choice. The focus of each week will be reading and writing poetry in response to the events of our lives and the world, big and small. My aim is to create a supportive space where we can do this together.
