On Saturday, January 18, 2020, local writers are invited to attend “The Poets Roundtable” — a day of free writing workshops, plus an Open Mic and Authors' Alley in which local authors display recent publications. The “Roundtable,” a production of the Lansing Poetry Club, will run from 10:30 AM to 5 PM at the East Lansing Public Library, 950 Abbot Road, East Lansing.
Poets of great talent and expertise will lead the workshops: Lansing Poet Laureate Laura Apol, poet/law professor Brian Gilmore, poet/spoken word artist Will Langford, and poet /essayist, Jan Shoemaker. (See workshop descriptions below)
There will also be a Resource Table with information on local writers' organizations and upcoming events.
To register for this free day of workshops, follow the link below: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-poets-roundtable-tickets-82366838431
There is no fee for The Poets' Roundtable; however, those who order lunch will be responsible for that cost. You can bring your own lunch or order lunch (from the Potbelly Sandwich Shop) at the time you register (10:30 AM).
The lineup of workshops includes:
Poetry as ‘WordsMusic’ w/ Brian Gilmore: The workshop discusses the use of musical elements and styles in the creation of poetic forms and poetry. Blues, jazz, and rhythm and blues are among the music forms that will be discussed and various poems will be examined for their relationship to music. The poetry of poets such as Waring Cuney and Langston Hughes will be highlighted as well as poems by the workshop leader.
Verborum Pictorum (“Painters of Words”) w/ Will Langford: When poets take to the stage, they are not only writers, they are painters of words. Participants are encouraged to bring a poem-in-progress as they explore voice, and stage presence in this dynamic workshop presented by Will “The Poet” Langford.
Figure It Out: Making Poetry Sing Through Figurative Language with Jan Shoemaker: The black bat night has flown. Hope is a thing with feathers. In the room the women come and go talking of Michelangelo. Do not go gentle into that good night. Figurative language forms poetry’s good bones. Let’s play with it today and leave with a poem–or the beginning of one–that sings!
Imaginary gardens with real toads in them w/ Laura Apol: Marianne Moore advocates for “imaginary gardens with real toads in them” as a way to combine the raw and the genuine in poetry. In this workshop, we will think together about the importance of concrete imagery as a way to ground a poem in the “real,” and we will write together.
