Summer Workshop Program 2023
Why is telling one’s own story such an empowering act? Why is the boiled down, intensely-compacted brevity of poetic utterance so liable to deliver us to the unconscious truths of our imaginations? In this workshop, we will explore the recuperative powers of poetry writing as a practice of recovery, related to addiction. We will explore the point of view of active addiction, those in recovery, and viewpoints of family and friends. Day 1, we will discuss contemporary poems (distributed in advance) on the subject (Kaveh Akhbar, William Brewer, Sheryl St. Germain et al). For the rest of the week, participants will bring their own poems on the topic for workshop discussion and close reading. Prompts will be provided for those who find them useful. There will be some generative in-class writing, as well.
Biography
Why is telling one’s own story such an empowering act? Why is the boiled down, intensely-compacted brevity of poetic utterance so liable to deliver us to the unconscious truths of our imaginations? In this workshop, we will explore the recuperative powers of poetry writing as a practice of recovery, related to addiction. We will explore the point of view of active addiction, those in recovery, and viewpoints of family and friends. Day 1, we will discuss contemporary poems (distributed in advance) on the subject (Kaveh Akhbar, William Brewer, Sheryl St. Germain et al). For the rest of the week, participants will bring their own poems on the topic for workshop discussion and close reading. Prompts will be provided for those who find them useful. There will be some generative in-class writing, as well.
