Wednesday, April 8, 2009

West Virginia Poetry Workshop

Andrea Hollander Budy, an old Sewanee friend, will be offering the following poetry workshop in Shepherdstown, WV:

I’m giving a one-day poetry writing workshop in Shepherdstown, West Virginia (1½ hours by car from Washington DC) on Saturday, May 16, 9:30 a.m. till 4 p.m. The workshop is limited to 10 practicing poets (though not necessarily published ones) and will be closed as soon as that limit is reached, so those interested should register early. Cost: $85 prepaid or $100 on site. A nonrefundable deposit of $20 is required before April 30. Below is a general outline of what to expect and how to prepare.

9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Conversation Pieces
An often difficult aspect of writing a poem is knowing how and where to begin—and afterwards
traveling deeply enough. Sometimes we must trick ourselves in order to achieve this. Through a
series of exercises designed to jumpstart writers into beginning without hesitation and
exploring the often rich and surprising arena they may find themselves, participants will draft
new poems.

12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch break (bring your own lunch or eat at a local restaurant)

1:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Re-vision Matters
Drafting a poem is only the first step towards the creation of a successful poem. This is an
opportunity for participants to learn perhaps new approaches to revising a poem already in
progress but is, for some reason(s), not yet working. Bring eleven copies (one for each
participant, including yourself and Andrea) of two “troubled” poems—poems that don’t quite
work and that you’re having trouble fixing. As we examine these poems, we will discuss a
variety of ways to approach their revision.

For more information about Andrea: http://www.andreahollanderbudy.com/
To register: please email Andrea at ahbudy@mvtel.net to get payment information.
For information on lodging, contact event organizer Hope Snyder in Shepherdstown at hms@hbp.com.

Work-in-Progress

DC-area author Leslie Pietrzyk explores the creative process and all things literary.