We're in the process of moving this class to align with other Visiting Author classes, meeting Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, with one-on-ones from 11:30–12:15.
In his talk from which the title of this workshop is taken, Lorca writes "The mechanics of poetic imagination are always the same: a concentration, a leap, a flight, a return with the treasure, and a classification and selection of what has been brought back.” Each poem we write moves through some version of this process: inspiration to selection to refinement. In this workshop, participants will bring poems in various stages of completion, from rough initial inspiration to near completion. We’ll ask the poet to share where they are in the creative process of each poem, and then discuss what we see, what we think is most exciting about what is on the page, what might be emerging, and where the poet might go. We’ll also use the framework of Lorca’s talk to discuss larger poetic issues, such as the relationship between imagination and reality, the difference between (and relative merits of) clarity and obscurity, the importance of process and creative practice (including tips about how to generate poems in new ways), and also invented giants, enchanted grottos made by single drops of rain, the dark silence of great tree trunks, the dangers of melancholy clouds, and other vital matters.
Accepted participants will submit 4 poems of no more than one page each by May 12, and will write one new poem during the week. Participants will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Matthew during the week of class.
Applications for Lit Fest Advanced Workshops are open here until March 8. To learn more about Lit Fest, tuition, fellowships, and advanced class admittance, click here.
