NYC WORKSHOPS
Painting by Mary Frank
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How Do I Begin and End? A Poetry Workshop Entrances and exits to a poem are usually more problematic than its middle, yet many poets struggle with these two vital moments in a poem or else find themselves repeating the same gestures and techniques. As T.S. Eliot wrote in The Four Quartets, “What we call the beginning is often the end / And to make an end is to make a beginning.” In this three-hour workshop, we look at outstanding examples of poems deploying different strategies for opening and closing. Afterwards, in a supportive atmosphere, we discuss at least one poem by each participant to suggest ways to sharpen its beginning and ending to make the poem as engaging as possible. Hosted by Hudson Valley Writers Center on Zoom Sunday, Jan. 12th, 12:30-4:30pm To Register Go here Sharon Dolin is also available for one-on-one manuscript consultations online, by phone, and by Zoom video-conferencing. |
Yetzirah Annual Conference
2025 Jewish Poetry Conference
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Sharon Dolin will teach a generative workshop entitled God-Wrestling: Poetry as Prayer:
A poem is, according to D.H. Lawrence, "an act of attention" and according to Simone Weil, "Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer." In this generative workshop we will explore the realm of poetry as prayer. In Jewish liturgy, there is nothing more central than the psalms, which are lyric poems—an individual voice addressing God. Starting with the psalms and moving on to other devotional and defiant voices, this generative workshop will focus on poems as prayers from Jewish and non-Jewish voices, including Gerard Manley Hopkins, Denise Levertov, Leila Chatti, Yehuda HaLevi, Yona Wallach, and Jacqueline Osherow. What happens when we open ourselves up to addressing the Divine Presence/Shekhina (or the possibility of one) that is invisible and omnipresent? How can we explore and challenge through poetry our own fundamental beliefs including unbelief? If one meaning of the name Israel is God-wrestlers, the poems you will be invited to read and write will all be ways of grappling with the Divine. Believers and nonbelievers are welcome. For more info and to apply: https://yetzirahpoets.org/programs/conference/ |