You are crafting a perfect poem. You have designed it to your exacting specifications. It does precisely what you wanted it to do. And it couldn’t be more predictable. More than once during the 2017 PBPF workshop Carl Phillips asked, “What is at stake in this poem?” We will ask that question and look for the missed opportunities that the poem presents. Bring works in progress or write from examples and prompts.
Michael Mackin O’Mara has lived and worked in West Palm Beach, Florida since the 1980s. Before that he studied under Hans and Ilse Juergensen at the University of South Florida. He is the managing editor of the South Florida Poetry Journal and has been fortunate enough to attend Palm Beach Poetry Festival events since 2005. Visit his website here.