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Bodies in the Poem: A Writing Workshop at The Word Barn

The Word Barn
66 Newfields Road
Exeter, NH 03833 United States

Join us for a five session evening writing workshop with UNH MFA graduate Theresa Monteiro. The sessions take place every Tuesday from 6-8:30 p.m., July 12 to Aug. 9.

This workshop will explore how the human person appears (and does not appear) in poetry and how the figures in our own poems move between poet and reader.

As a uniquely human experience, many of us turn to poetry in times of joy, loneliness, anger, and grief. But what about the people who appear in poems? How do we image the human body in poetry, use the voice to convey tone, or incorporate multiple voices in a poem? How do we think about the poem as an address to another human, or to the world, or even to the self? Can a poem create communion between persons? This workshop will explore how the human person appears (and does not appear) in poetry and how the figures in our own poems move between poet and reader.

Each session will begin with a short discussion of poems by contemporary and historical poets. We’ll pose questions such as, Does imagery of the body objectify the body? Is the use of the first- person plural “we” presumptuous? Can a poem without bodies be about the person? The hope is that these discussions and poems will influence and help generate new drafts for the participants to bring to workshop. However, this should be seen as an opportunity and not a limitation; poems about dogs are welcome.

Each session will include ample time for workshop. Participants will be asked to come to the session prepared with commentary on the work of the other poets in the session. No level of previous experience is required.