Have you ever wondered why certain images in a poem stay with you long after the last line? What makes an image memorable? Startling? Revelatory?

 

Considering examples by Robert Wrigley, Mary Swenson, Gary Soto, Jay Wright, Rodney Jones, Jenny Browne, and the work of other contemporary and historic poets, this two-week workshop will focus on how sensory detail can help create—in addition to emotion, mood, and symbolism—poetic voice, and how the use of imagery can help strike a balance between inquiry, observation, and revelation within and throughout a poem.

 

Participants will practice utilizing literary techniques that can enhance the use of the imagery in their own poetry. Each session will begin with a writing exercise, then move into a deep dive into

literary texts that heighten voice through imagery, and it will end with either a revision/rewriting of an existing poem from the participant or the creation of a new piece.

 

Feedback will be given by the instructor within class and between weeks, with the goal that participants leave with a better understanding of the craft that will make their poetic voice flourish.