In poetry, it’s not about what you say; it’s how you say it.
Robert Frost said, “It’s tone I’m in love with; that’s what poetry is, tone.” The ability to control tone in a poem is what makes a poet credible and their intention clear. But tone has not always been easy to define, let alone control. In this workshop, we will attempt to distinguish tone from voice, style, and mood. We will explore what contributes to a poem’s tone and how these elements can be used to convey attitude and emotion.
Live video conference: This workshop will be held via our online video conferencing platform, Zoom. You can view brief tutorials on using the platform here. On the start date or the day before, participants will receive an email with login info (please check your spam if you don’t see it).
In this workshop you’ll learn:
- What tone is, and how it differs from style, voice, and mood.
- What contributes to the tone of a poem.
- Different approaches to establishing tone.
- How to avoid sentimentality.
Time requirements
- No time required outside of class.
Materials
- All reading materials will be provided.
Who should take this workshop?
- Because even experienced poets often don’t pay close attention to tone, this workshop will benefit anyone who wants to learn how to control the effect a poem has on its readers.
If you need an accommodation for this workshop, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.