The Rib Cage Of The Poem: Writing Form From The Inside Out With Molly Peacock

FacWeb-PeacockIn this workshop we will think of poetic structures as a rib cage to let a poem breathe—letting go of the idea that a received form can trap inspiration. Instead, we will explore the surprises of imagination that can occur with forms. Along with student work, we will look at classic and contemporary triolets, sonnets, and villanelles, stretching our ideas of structure from a how-to point of view. To help us in writing from the inside out, there will be daily assignments/suggestions with individually tailored ideas for creating rib cages for your poems. No daily assignment needs to be completed to perfection. My aim is to leave you with an orchardful of possibilities and the courage to try them. We will consider poems in the spirit of expansion, not in terms of perfectionism. Our motto? In the attempt is the success. Participants will submit three poems in advance, considered to be unfinished and that have not been in a workshop elsewhere.