Class

The Poetry of Preoccupation

Preoccupations: They’re the things that make us toss and turn at night. What we just can’t let go off–or what won’t let us go. In a lighter sense, a preoccupation might be an abiding delight, the item on the bucket list, that dream we can’t stop reaching for. In a more difficult sense, the loss, or pain, or trauma that won’t go away. A preoccupation might be an obsession, might be the one that got away, the intractable work or personal problem, the wrong that needs righting, the injustice that cries out for reparation.

The wound unhealed–or healing. In this generative poetry workshop, we will plumb the preoccupations that so often drive the most compelling poetry. We’ll read examples of “preoccupation” from established poets, and dig into our own preoccupations to generate and share new work. The class will include brainstorms, small-group discussion, whole-group discussion, read-alouds, generating work in response to prompts, and sharing of work. Participants will be expected to ground themselves in anti-racist concepts in advance.

Please submit this request form at least two to three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this class. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.