Whether you are an experienced poet or just trying your hand at the genre, you might find yourself wondering where to start with a new poem. You may be looking to write new kinds of poems, break through writers’ block, or find fresh inspiration. Maybe you have an idea in mind that is just too daunting to begin. Join for a discussion on the benefits of experimenting with form, how form can hold your poem tightly, and how it can free your mind from overthinking. Together, we will look toward forms (both experimental and rule-bound) to revive our poetic energy. We will explore contemporary poets using such techniques, including Mag Gabbert, Cameron Awkward-Rich, and Terrance Hayes, among others. We will try our hand at forms like the ghazal and the sestina, and play with found poetry through centos and erasure. You will come away with writing materials, inspiration, and generative revision strategies.

Saba Keramati is a Chinese-Iranian writer, editor, and educator from the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds degrees in English and Creative Writing from University of Michigan and UC Davis, where she was a Fellow for Creative Arts and taught creative writing. Her poetry has been nominated for Best of the Net and Pushcart prizes, and supported with fellowships from the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, the UC Davis Humanities Institute, and Seventh Wave. Saba’s work is published or forthcoming in Michigan Quarterly Review, AGNI, Passages North, and elsewhere. Currently, she serves as Poetry Editor for Sundog Lit. You can follow her work at www.sabakeramati.com.

Co-sponsored with the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.