This workshop was originally offered through Catholic Literary Arts as a 4-part virtual workshop. Please reach out via my Contact Page if you would be interested in having me deliver this for your organization, or if you would like to be notified when I am teaching it again.
William Carlos Williams famously said, “No ideas but in things,” and Ezra Pound, “go in fear of abstraction.” In this highly interactive workshop we will explore the balance between showing and telling, between the use of the concrete and the abstract.
Participants will learn: how to direct “the gaze of the poem” to hover close on a single image or pull back to provide a panoramic view; to understand how image works at both the literal and figurative level; and how image can anchor abstract concepts. We will then use techniques that allow us to adjust the mood or tone of the poem as well as guide the reader’s pace in experiencing the poem. We will try our hand at various techniques through in-class exercises and take home challenges. Feedback on student work is provided.
Tamara Nicholl-Smith 