Revise for greater impact through the use—and abuse—of grammar.
We know what the sentence means for prose, but what can it do for your poems? Whether or not we can name the parts of speech, our instinctive grasp of grammar, especially the sentence, offers us powerful tools for revision. Model texts by Ross Gay, Ada Limon, Rae Armantrout, and Louise Gluck will help us unpack basic terms and think about how grammar works in our own writing. Bring 3-4 old drafts you’d like to inject life into and together we’ll choose which to focus on. By the time we’re finished, you’ll have at least one fully revised draft—and a fundamental tool to heighten suspense, enliven language, and manipulate sound.
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 heighten your understanding of:
- Syntax and line breaks
- Pacing
- Repetition and variation
- Structure and surprise
Time requirements
- No time required outside of class.
Materials
- All reading materials will be provided.
Who should take this workshop?
- This workshop is designed for experienced poets looking for ways to revitalize old drafts. Knowledge of grammatical terms is not required.
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.
