Workshops

Tuesday

May 22

Hidden Language

Yoga and writing: Explore the tools of yoga as they connect to writing, cultivate the ability to listen with intuition, and refresh your creative process. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a journal.

Robin Macdonald

Robin Macdonald is a poet, creative non-fiction writer, and restorative justice practitioner. In 2004, Robin embarked on a 340 km solo pilgrimage through the boreal forest of northern Manitoba. She is currently writing about that long walk. Robin's lastest poems are the current issue of Ottawater.com (issue 8).

Tuesday

June 12

Why Write? Thinking Process

Many poets, especially after writing for a bit, will begin to explore their own poetics, believing that a clearer understanding of their own motivations might be good for their craft. It is instructive, then, to take a quick look at the stated poetics of past and present authors, and to try to answer a few fundamental questions for oneself. A round table questionnaire and discussion that aims to exchange views on the whys and wisdoms.

Roland Prevost

Roland is the past managing editor of 17 seconds and poetics.ca. He has 3 chapbooks.

Tuesday

August 28

Meeting History with Updates

Updating or rewriting older poems/subject matter. A recurring ars poetica in Canadian poetry (Ondatje's Billy the Kid, Bolster's Alice: The White Stone Poems, Price's Anatomy of Keys, and Lista's Bloom), the concept of rewriting, updating, or "writing over" a source poem (or a source literary text or character) is as old as poetry itself. Discussion and creation of new.

Jeff Latosik

Jeff Latosik is working on a new collection that combines elements of chemistry, music, and myth.

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 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:

Jay MillAr on the long poem, Christine McNair on the material of books: paper and binding, Brenda Leifso doing how poems work in magical realism, Ian Keteku on extending a metaphor and finding fresh phrasings, Monty Reid on the connection between place and poetry, mapping and the muse,  L.M. Rochefort on the bilingual poem, cut up poetry, and techniques for projecting your voice, Guy Simser on tanka's developments overseas and in North America, Ikenna Onyegbula on techniques in spoken word, Terry Ann 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 on frames of poetic values, sestinas, combining the material of disparate poems, 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, Glenn Kletke on stanza types and effects and Ronnie R Brown on using line and stanza breaks to enhance your poetry and on finding an effective title.