POETRY WORKSHOP

WHAT, AND HOW, DO YOU DECLARE?

MJ Jones

“The majority of my time is spent trying to figure out a way to get into the poem that’s going to surprise you.” -Patricia Smith

In the age of AI and revisionist history (and present), poetry remains one of the most powerful vehicles we have to confront truth and declare what is unspoken.

Yet as we declare – how do we find new language for the age-old themes of life, loss, love, grief? How do we maintain wonder? Some entryways into surprise can be through persona, or from where the line is broken; it could be different registers of voice from the speaker. Persona, characterization, and poetic forms are all practices that are useful in making age-old content, new.

In our workshop home, we’ll practice new ways of entry into our existing poems and generate new work as well. We will come away with strategies to kindly & critically discuss the work of others and apply these to our own revision.

What do you declare? What do you keep hidden?

Reveal too much too soon and lose the majesty of the poem; reveal too little and lose clarity. The best poetry finds a balance - we will work together to find what balance means for each of our unique poetic voices.