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Breaking Points

FULL/WAIT LIST ONLY⏤email hannah@mainewriters.org to be added

A Workshop on Inspired Line breaks and Rule-Breaking in Free & Formal(ish) Verse

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

Being strict with poetic phrasings and forms is great discipline, but sometimes poems could stand to act out and push back a little. In this poetry workshop, participants will explore how to energize their enjambment, and how (and why) to flout some rules of common poetic forms.

First, the group will investigate practical techniques and read illustrative poems by poets such as Miller Williams and Yusef Komunyakaa. Then, participants will have the chance to practice these techniques; they may choose to generate new work or to bring a poem or two whose line breaks or form they’d like to revisit. The workshop will conclude with sharing and commenting on participants’ new breakthroughs.

+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online, using the video meeting platform Zoom. Students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. On Thursday, February 25, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, MWPA’s Hannah Perry will offer a test session on Zoom. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the test session, which usually takes only 5-10 minutes, and those who do not are responsible for ensuring that they are able to use Zoom on their own. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the test session and the class.

+ REQUIRED EQUIPMENT A reliable, fast internet connection (broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE), speakers & a microphone (built-in or USB plug-in), and a webcam (built-in or USB plug-in).

If you would like to quickly and easily test your internet connection and your computer’s compatibility with Zoom, click HERE. Full details on supported Operating Systems, internet browsers, and more can be found HERE. To download and familiarize yourself with Zoom, click HERE.


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Megan Grumbling's poetry collection Booker's Point was awarded the Vassar Miller Prize and the Maine Book Award for Poetry. Her newest book, Persephone in the Late Anthropocene, was published by Acre Books in 2020. Her poetry has also been awarded the Ruth Lilly Fellowship and the Robert Frost Foundation Award, and has appeared in Poetry, Crazyhorse, The Iowa Review, Memorious, and elsewhere. She edits the Deep Water column in the Maine Sunday Telegram, serves as reviews editor for the poetry journal The Café Review, and is librettist of the spoken opera Persephone in the Late Anthropocene. VISIT megangrumbling.com


ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via PayPal. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.

PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION

QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact Hannah Perry at hannah@mainewriters.org.

REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-228-8263 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.

REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information. Please note that mail delivery to the MWPA office is currently experiencing extensive delays, so please email hannah@mainewriters.org first if you would like to register by mail.

SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one full scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due on February 15 at 9:00 a.m.
→ MORE INFORMATION

MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION





Earlier Event: February 23
The Art of Revision
Later Event: March 2
Explore the Moment