#16 WORKSHOP II, Saturday, 1:45-2:45 PM Location: Newton: Room A (Across from Meadow) Instructor: Marcus Goodyear, Laity Renewal; Laura Barkat, Freelance Author
THE GIFT OF POETRY: encouragement, inspiration, and practice Slow down. Look around. The heavens declare the glory of God, but we can’t hear the heavens unless we slow down. Marshall McLuhen says the medium is the message. The medium of poetry is a slow medium. The craft and art of poetry glorifies God because it helps us see his work in the world—and share that vision with others. In this workshop, we will find encouragement from past and current poets (from C. S. Lewis to Annie Dillard to Billy Collins), inspiration from the Spirit’s work in our own lives, and practical motivation to hone our skills as poets. Writing time is built into the workshop.
I. Light and Mirrors a. Read short excerpt from The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis
b. Writing activity—“diving in”
II. Look Around a. Short excerpt from The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
b. “Walking on the River Ice” by Wendell Berry
c. “A Place in the Sun” by Larry D. Thomas
d. Writing activity—“Just Show No Tell”
III.Look Inside a. Short excerpt from The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
b. Short excerpt from Song of Myself by Walt Whitman
c. Short excerpt from News of the Universe by David Ignatow
d. “Yoked Together” by Marcus Goodyear
e. Writing activity—“Using Yourself for Bait”
IV. Celebrating the Gift of Poetry a. Reading and sharing
b. Sign up for editing time