Writing a Universe: A Prose Poetry Workshop [6-weeks, $250 Suggested]
Instructor: Cohen | Sundays May 15-June 19 | 2:00-4:00 PM ET
According to Charles Simic, “Prose poetry is a monster-child of two incompatible impulses, one which wants to tell a story and another, equally powerful, which wants to freeze an image, or a bit of language, for our scrutiny.” But what happens when two incompatible impulses come together? What happens when you tell a story that is also frozen in place? In creating this new space, poets are given the freedom to develop content that operates by different rules, set in a different universe. In this writing workshop, we will consider how prose poetry pushes writers to develop new worlds and ways of being. Everyone who learns to read and write has experience using prose to communicate. Sentences and paragraphs are easily recognizable, offering an efficient means of conveying different types of information. People tend to turn to poetry in search of a density of meaning, emotion, and unique use of language. As prose poetry bridges these elements, it grants access to a space between fiction and poetry, clarity and complexity, explanation and intuition. It is familiar enough to serve as a foundation, while also enabling the leaps and explorations necessary to create something new.
This writing workshop is an opportunity to inhabit that space. We will explore how prose poetry is an ideal tool for universe building and diverse methods of storytelling, from micro fiction to surrealist streams of consciousness. We will read essays and analyze existing works of prose poetry, seeking out an understanding of how other writers have accessed the form and used it as a platform in developing new worlds where unique characters, cultural spaces, and ideas can run free. Among others, readings will include texts by writers like Alice Notley, Renee Gladman, Charles Simic, Russel Edson, and Claudia Rankine.
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We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees.
If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.
Instructor: Cohen | Sundays May 15-June 19 | 2:00-4:00 PM ET
According to Charles Simic, “Prose poetry is a monster-child of two incompatible impulses, one which wants to tell a story and another, equally powerful, which wants to freeze an image, or a bit of language, for our scrutiny.” But what happens when two incompatible impulses come together? What happens when you tell a story that is also frozen in place? In creating this new space, poets are given the freedom to develop content that operates by different rules, set in a different universe. In this writing workshop, we will consider how prose poetry pushes writers to develop new worlds and ways of being. Everyone who learns to read and write has experience using prose to communicate. Sentences and paragraphs are easily recognizable, offering an efficient means of conveying different types of information. People tend to turn to poetry in search of a density of meaning, emotion, and unique use of language. As prose poetry bridges these elements, it grants access to a space between fiction and poetry, clarity and complexity, explanation and intuition. It is familiar enough to serve as a foundation, while also enabling the leaps and explorations necessary to create something new.
This writing workshop is an opportunity to inhabit that space. We will explore how prose poetry is an ideal tool for universe building and diverse methods of storytelling, from micro fiction to surrealist streams of consciousness. We will read essays and analyze existing works of prose poetry, seeking out an understanding of how other writers have accessed the form and used it as a platform in developing new worlds where unique characters, cultural spaces, and ideas can run free. Among others, readings will include texts by writers like Alice Notley, Renee Gladman, Charles Simic, Russel Edson, and Claudia Rankine.
—
We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees.
If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.
Instructor: Cohen | Sundays May 15-June 19 | 2:00-4:00 PM ET
According to Charles Simic, “Prose poetry is a monster-child of two incompatible impulses, one which wants to tell a story and another, equally powerful, which wants to freeze an image, or a bit of language, for our scrutiny.” But what happens when two incompatible impulses come together? What happens when you tell a story that is also frozen in place? In creating this new space, poets are given the freedom to develop content that operates by different rules, set in a different universe. In this writing workshop, we will consider how prose poetry pushes writers to develop new worlds and ways of being. Everyone who learns to read and write has experience using prose to communicate. Sentences and paragraphs are easily recognizable, offering an efficient means of conveying different types of information. People tend to turn to poetry in search of a density of meaning, emotion, and unique use of language. As prose poetry bridges these elements, it grants access to a space between fiction and poetry, clarity and complexity, explanation and intuition. It is familiar enough to serve as a foundation, while also enabling the leaps and explorations necessary to create something new.
This writing workshop is an opportunity to inhabit that space. We will explore how prose poetry is an ideal tool for universe building and diverse methods of storytelling, from micro fiction to surrealist streams of consciousness. We will read essays and analyze existing works of prose poetry, seeking out an understanding of how other writers have accessed the form and used it as a platform in developing new worlds where unique characters, cultural spaces, and ideas can run free. Among others, readings will include texts by writers like Alice Notley, Renee Gladman, Charles Simic, Russel Edson, and Claudia Rankine.
—
We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees.
If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.