Workshops

Tuesday
February 14

Getting a Poem In Shape

This workshop will focus on taking a rough draft of poem and then experimenting with the several ways in which the material can be presented. Participants can either bring their own writing to "shape" or "play" with samples provided.

Glenn Kletke

Glenn Kletke is a member of the Field Stone Poets. His work has been published in several journals and can be found in the Field Stone's recent collection, "Whistle For Jellyfish."
Tuesday
March 13

Introduction to the long poem

The North American Long (or “Serial”) Poem, with particular emphasis on reading and discussing Canadian Long Poems.

Jay MillAR

Poet, editor and publisher who has been actively involved in the Canadian experimental poetry community for the past fifteen years.
Tuesday
March 27

Haiku

A concept form not a syllabic form

Pearl Pirie

Join us for the official Ottawa launch of Pearl's Robert-Kroetsch-award-winning trade collection, Thirsts.
Tuesday
April 10

Making a Chapbook

Yes, you can sew. The production aspect of making chapbooks, part 1.

Christine McNair

Christine McNair has a forthcoming trade collection with BookThug, and is a host of CKCU's Literary Landscapes.
Tuesday
April 24

Making a Chapbook

Yes, you can sew. The production aspect of making chapbooks, part 2.

Christine McNair

Christine McNair has a forthcoming trade collection with BookThug, and is a host of CKCU's Literary Landscapes.

 

 

More about Tree Seed Workshops

 

Since 2009, Tree has been offering a series of one-hour poetry workshops that are free to anyone who wishes to attend. They are held in the usual Tree venue between 6:45 and 7:45 on regular Tree evenings. Each series of four workshops will be led by a different facilitator.

 

Developing organically, each facilitator will act as a unique catalyst, bringing a special angle and passion on craft and practice in poetry to the round table. The sessions are to be a time and space for people to talk about poetic practice and techniques, why poetry works and how to present ideas.  There may be a focus on a set of poems that demonstrate a principle and hands-on exercises. Time for getting more eyes on a piece brought in to share (with safe group feedback) are allotted in some sessions.  

 

Past facilitators and foci have included:

Brenda Leifso doing how poems work in magical realism, Ian Keteku on extending a metaphor and finding fresh phrasings, L.M. Rochefort on the bilingual poem and techniques for projecting your voice, Guy Simser on tanka's developments overseas and in North America, Ikenna Onyegbula on techniques in spoken word, T.A. Carter on glosas of women writers, beat poets and using found text, Cameron Anstee looking at the personal poem and the list poem with examples from Frank O'Hara and Ted Berrigan, Mike Buckthought on ancient Greek epigrams, Phil Hall on triptychs,  Sandra Ridley on linear vs. oblique and risk vs. silence, Pearl Pirie (co-ordinator of the workshops overall) on frames of poetic values, sestinas and use of space and punctuation, rob mclennan on writing from language and from other writers, Claudia Coutu Radmore on the beauty of juxtaposition and a look at senryu, and Ronnie R Brown on using line and stanza breaks to enhance your poetry and on finding the title.