A Poetry Craft Talk: Secrets, Symbolism and the Value of Things

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Event Website

https://source2022.sched.com/

Start Date

18-5-2022

End Date

18-5-2022

Keywords

Poetry, Creative Writing, Craft Talk, Audience, Teaching, Participation

Abstract

The intent of this craft talk is to engage the audience in a generative writing prompt for the purpose of developing poetic imagery. By the conclusion of this craft talk each participant will have emersed themselves in the creative process and written a draft poem. The presentation portion of the craft talk explores the intersection between the poetry of Pablo Neruda, specifically his poem “Ode to a chair” and Mary Ruefle’s perspectives for writing “On Secrets” from her book Madness, Rack and Honey. The development of this craft talk, and engagement with these poets forced me to consider the relationship between humans and inanimate objects, the true value of material things and how humans can attempt to discover the secrets held within these objects. This craft talk was originally created for ENG 565 Advanced Poetry Writing. Since leading craft talks is a valuable part of professional development for a writer, I learned how poets responded to the content and prompt within the craft talk, as well as how to create an environment that breaks down barriers and supports creativity.

Faculty Mentor(s)

Maya Zeller

Department/Program

English Professional and Creative Writing

Additional Mentoring Department

English Professional and Creative Writing

Additional Mentoring Department

Graduate Studies

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May 18th, 10:00 AM May 18th, 10:30 AM

A Poetry Craft Talk: Secrets, Symbolism and the Value of Things

The intent of this craft talk is to engage the audience in a generative writing prompt for the purpose of developing poetic imagery. By the conclusion of this craft talk each participant will have emersed themselves in the creative process and written a draft poem. The presentation portion of the craft talk explores the intersection between the poetry of Pablo Neruda, specifically his poem “Ode to a chair” and Mary Ruefle’s perspectives for writing “On Secrets” from her book Madness, Rack and Honey. The development of this craft talk, and engagement with these poets forced me to consider the relationship between humans and inanimate objects, the true value of material things and how humans can attempt to discover the secrets held within these objects. This craft talk was originally created for ENG 565 Advanced Poetry Writing. Since leading craft talks is a valuable part of professional development for a writer, I learned how poets responded to the content and prompt within the craft talk, as well as how to create an environment that breaks down barriers and supports creativity.

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2022/CAH/18