Poetics As Cosmology
(Intro To Spontaneous Composition)
A five week online (Zoom) workshop for people who have had a little experience in spontaneous poetry composition and want more. Join Cascadia Poetics Lab and Poetry Postcard Fest Co-Founder Paul E Nelson in a lively course designed to help you tap into deeper levels of knowing that can begin inform your non-writing life & reduce reliance on editing. Some theory to understand the poetics of 20th/21st c approaches to spontaneous composition, some writing exercises, discussion and between class homework. The work of Charles Olson, Denise Levertov, Michael McClure, Wanda Coleman, Nate Mackey, Robert Duncan, Robin Blaser and others may be discussed along with concepts such as seriality, & investigative poetics & how to write more by getting the most out of first drafts.
The course being offered in January 2023 will focus on the first 60 pages of Brenda Hillman’s new book In a Few Minutes Before Later.
FOR A 30% discount add the code: q301.
Saturdays, 9-11 PST, Jan 14, 21, 28 & Feb 4 & 11. REGISTER FOR SATURDAYS HERE.
Limit – 12 participants in each session.
I think you can take a lot of credit for the fact that people were inspired to do great work in the class. There is something about the model that really works. You give people inspiring prompts and fire them up. But the group is not a “class” really. And that is good. In a class people are children. And that is sort of paralyzing. It is more of an organic community — of equals — so people are constantly getting inspired by each other. It is supportive, not competitive, and non-hierarchical. And you have an amazing capacity to listen to each person. I enjoy the workshops and the “family” but — most important — I keep coming back because the classes — and the rich poetry community you have created — keep me writing.
—Ann Graham Walker
Nanoose Bay, BC
1-NOV-2022
Oct 7, 2022