What can we learn from photographers about documenting, recording, and constructing     our poetic houses? Photographs, like the lyric poem, use image, structure, repetition,   allegory, memory, and intuition to build "monuments to moments," architectures of the    visible and invisible, containers for song. During this one-hour workshop, we’ll work with a    set of prompts designed to help you create a short series inspired by the photographic    monuments of Linda McCartney and others on exhibition at U of A's Center for Creative    Photography. We'll spend most of our time writing and viewing the work; we'll meet    briefly at the end of class to share lines, triumphs, and revelations.  

 Bring a pencil and sketchbook or notebook. Laptop optional. Handouts  provided.  

 This workshop is limited to 12 students  

Following the ideas of Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, Mary Ruefle, and Jorie Graham, we’ll explore how the power and possibility of “sensory writing” can carry us beyond mere description. 

Come ready to read, think, feel, and write.

If you’ve ever dealt with writer’s block—or if you simply need to break out of a writing rut—this workshop is for you. In this session, we will engage in a series of collaborative language games borrowed from the French Surrealists to unlock imagination, create surprising juxtapositions, and discover new avenues for our writing. We’ll listen to each other in a spirit of play, improvisation, and curiosity. Each participant will leave this session with some new poem ideas and at least one new draft.