FAERMINGTON – A new poetry writing workshop will be held every third Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. starting Sept. 18 at the Farmington Public Library, 117 Academy Street, Farmington.
The workshop will be lead by Frank Giampietro, author of Begin Anywhere (Alice James Books, 2008) with assistance from Julia Bouwsma and Meg Willing.
It’s open to anyone of any skill level (16 and older) interested in writing poetry for publication in national poetry journals (e.g., Poetry Magazine, Paris Review, American Poetry Review).
Bring at least one copy of one or two poems totaling no more than two single-spaced pages to distribute to all workshop participants. We can make copies.
At the beginning of each meeting, Giampietro will be distribute and then lead a discussion of example poems by nationally recognized, contemporary poets. A poetry writing prompt will also be distributed and discussed at this time (use of the prompt is always optional).
During the actual workshop each poet will read out loud a draft of an original poem. This same poem will then be read out loud by either the workshop leader or another workshop participant. Workshop participants will then be given several minutes to make notes on the copy of the poem. Finally, workshop participants will discuss the poem and make suggestions for editing.
Issues of prosody often discussed in a poetry workshop include the use of voice (1st, 2nd, or 3rd person), the use of rhyme and/or meter, and the effectiveness of metaphors in the poem. Participants may also give suggestions for copyediting and formatting.
Participants must be willing and open—if not eager—to receive constructive, impersonal criticism regarding the poem. The poet being workshopped will be asked not to speak while her poem is being discussed. Participants must be equally willing to give criticism of others’ poems by joining the discussion and/or writing notes on a copy of the poem being discussed. No special vocabulary or jargon is necessary to critique any poem being workshopped.
Please email Giampietro (TheFrankGiampietro@gmail.com) or Jen Scott (jenscott@farmington.lib. me.us) for more information. To find out more about Giampietro please visit www.FrankGiampietro. com.
