In her poem “Homage to My Hips,” Lucille Clifton offers the reader a proud—not to mention, funny—tribute to her body. And, in turn, to the body of her people. It’s an example of how sensory perception and an awareness of our physical being can serve as keys to unlock poetic expression.

On Saturday morning, we’ll read Clifton’s poem aloud—itself a sensory experience—to get us started. Then we will immerse ourselves in the five senses and invite them to enter our poems. Sensory memories offer a path to poetry: The smell of a bus’s exhaust. The tick of jeans in the dryer. The day your mother kissed you on your head when dropping you off at school, embarrassing you for the first time. The startling flavor (thank you, Proust) of a simple cookie. The song of the Swainson’s thrush.

We’ll take a look at form as well as content. One way to woo a poem out of your imagination is to play with structure. We’ll explore how form can actually free you from getting stuck. Haiku, a villanelle, or a made-up form!

We will write in class both days and share our work aloud, offering colleagues constructive comments. Expect an assignment for Saturday night. With sensory memories in your head and some new ideas about form, you’ll leave with a clutch of poems you never knew you could write. Experienced and novice poets are welcome.

In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; offer feedback/first impressions on writing you produce in our weekend.