Class

Poetry: Writing Through Loss

Almost everyone's life is touched by loss. What's lost could be internal, external, or some combination of the two. Loss can be individual or collective, fleeting or permanent, isolated or recurring across through generations. Loss might imply a wound or trauma, an absence, a breaker-of-bonds, yet in some cases might also act as a connector, an impetus, a catalyzer to action.

In this generative poetry workshop, we will explore (and perhaps explode) these concepts. We'll ground ourselves in what loss means to us, explore what it's meant to some great writers past and present, and generate work that engages "loss" in some way. We'll read poets who have reckoned with loss, such as Reginald Dwayne Betts, Victoria Chang, Donika Kelly, Donald Hall, Edward Hirsch, Claudia Rankine, Matt Rasmussen, Ocean Vuong, and Khaty Xiong. The class will include small-group discussion, whole-group discussion, read-alouds, brainstorming, generating work in response to prompts, and, as participants are willing, workshopping. Participants will be expected to ground themselves in anti-racist concepts in advance.

This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book; we encourage participants to be fully vaccinated and masked in the interest of everyone’s safety. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.