Description
Names carry meaning. Some names carry a story, like Samson whose name conjures thoughts of cut hair, love betrayed, and strength. We can use names to add meaning and texture to our poems.
During the workshop, participants will be guided to write poems built around a name. Each week, we will: highlight a way a name can add texture to a poem; read and discuss a poem by an acclaimed poet who uses names to create images, foreshadow, or inject meaning; and write a poem inspired by the week’s poem. Participants will have the first draft of four new poems by the end of the workshop.
Teacher Bio
Blossom Thom is a poet and editor. She is the author of #HashtagRelief (Gaspereau Press, 2017) and her poetry has appeared during art collaborations and in literary magazines and anthologies including Poetic Notions: A Weaving of Poetry and Visual Arts, Kola: A Black Literary Magazine, and Montréal Serai. A mentorship with George Elliott Clarke set the groundwork for her work-in-progress and was supported by a Professional Development for Artists Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.
See blossomthom.com
Links to Blossom’s work, reviews and media attention
- mtlreviewofbooks.ca
- QWF.org
- YouTube video, Interview
Testimonials
“Blossom was well prepared…I gained confidence.”
“[Blossom] used poems by established poets to inspire our work, sometimes employing short video clips which created a more dynamic feel to the class. We explored new forms, new voices.”
“I really didn’t want these sessions to end.”
Event Details
Session 1: March 09, 2021
Session 2: March 16, 2021
Session 3: March 23, 2021
Session 4: March 30, 2021
Start time: 14:00 EDT
End time: 16:00 EDT
Venue: Zoom conference
