When a poet steps to the microphone, truth on the tip of their tongue and vulnerability in their voice, you listen. But what writing techniques does a performance poet use to hook their audience? From the syntax of the first line, to the structure of the whole poem, spoken word artists have found multiple ways to keep the audience’s attention. You may be a master at creating images, a poet who can capture passion and pain, even a talented storyteller, but if you cannot hook your audience, they won’t stick around long enough for you to prove it. Designed for novice and experienced poets, memoirists, and storytellers, this workshop will focus on the hook by examining the spoken word artists that have found a way—in just a minute—to capture the attention of millions of viewers online. In our sessions, we will study the techniques employed by artists such as Neil Hilborn, Javon Johnson, Sabrina Benaim, and Blythe Bard, and we’ll use them to create our own hooks. Then we will engage in a workshop, constructively critiquing old or new works. We will finish our time together by presenting our final, polished hooks. In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; offer feedback/first impressions on writing you produce in our weekend; workshop writing you bring from home.