The Writer's Workshop @ Authors Publish

You are invited to a one-day live online poetry workshop with Rick Barot.

The problem at the heart of writing a poem is the problem of dramatization. That is, how do we dramatize in language—an arguably limited means—the dynamics of thought, sensation, mystery, knowledge, and unsayability that often comprise human experience?

For a poet, the work of dramatization means harnessing the formal elements that manifest in a poem. These elements encompass a trove of things: imagery, metaphor, sound, rhythm, lineation, stanza, diction, tone, and so on. Syntax—the way words are arranged, the way sentences are constructed—is a crucial element of a poem’s force. In its complexity and variety, syntax deeply impacts the reader’s encounter with a given poem.

In this three-hour craft immersion, we’ll dig into different kinds of syntactical constructions and observe the ways these constructions affect the flow of story, emotion, and time in a poem. We’ll look at poems with powerful content and consider the syntactical correlatives the poets use to orchestrate and intensify that content. We’ll also look at how poets bend and break the rules of syntax, in the process aligning these breakages with the risks that often define the best poems.

In addition to looking closely at exemplary poems by Patricia Smith, Sharon Olds, Paisley Rekdal, and others, we’ll also consider prompts for bringing a range of syntactical possibilities into our poems.

If you haven’t thought very much about the role of syntax in your poems, this class will be an illuminating primer. And if you’re already a syntax nerd, this class will give you new stratagems to try out.

Our discussion will be in service, of course, to your own poems and the strategies of craft you might bring to them.

The workshop will include a mix of craft instruction, and class discussion. Keep in mind, there will be a break included, so you can have of time to eat, stretch, etc.

Please note, this is a unique opportunity to attend a live workshop with Rick Barot. Space is limited.

For those interested in participating, you’re encouraged to enroll right away.