We live in a complex time marked by uncertainty, calamity, and war; grief and loss. We turn to the language of poetry in our attempts to understand the experience of sorrow and the unbearable, both personally and as part of a community. In poetry we look for vessels that might help us give words to–and carry–what feels impossible; and which, through our encounter and study of them, might carry us and our readers as well.

In this generative workshop, we’ll consider a selection of work from poets who engage deep and difficult subjects, and look at how they find the vessels to carry them. We’ll study the work’s vocabulary and shaping energies (including metaphor, syntax, voice, lineation, use of traditional and/or hybrid forms), to see how the transformation from “event” or inciting instance to poem is managed. Poets will work with guided prompts. Some of the poets we’ll study include Ilya Kaminsky, Ada Limón, Victoria Chang, Claire Shwartz, Franny Choi, Anthony Cody, and others.