Spring 2021 Writer’s Table
with Thomas More University Artist-in-Residence Dick Hague
Mondays | 12:15-1:05 p.m.
Request zoom meeting link at CreativeWritingVision@thomasmore.edu
January 25 | Language Listening to Itself | After reading “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats, let us pay special attention to how the word “still” nevertheless sets off ripples of meaning that radiate throughout the poem, and respond with our own rippling meanings in a poem or prose piece.
February 1 | A Dialogue Poem | We will try our hands at writing a poem that is a dialogue—literally, with two speakers.
February 15 | Writing A Lipogram | After mulling the possibilities of these ‘constrained” forms, we will select the one known as a lipogram as an exercise. Specific examples can be reviewed here.
March 1 | Characteristics of Poetry | In a return to some fundamentals, I will offer several directions to pursue based on my personal list of what makes poetry poetry.
March 15 | The Way of “No”| Rather than affirm, let us write a poem or prose piece that negates, or nullifies, or erases something best said “no” to.
March 29 | Parody | We will try our hands at writing a parody, an exercise that may prove therapeutic in these recent times of madness and bad words, to up-end one definition of poetry as “madness and fine words.”
April 12 | The Large in the Small | Let’s see if we can contain something very large by way of something very small. If that sounds vague, the prompt this week will help.
April 26 | Happy Shared Birthday | This will require some pre-work: look up some famous person, living or dead, with whom you share your birthday—it doesn’t have to be the same year, but the exact date. We will see what we can make of such a coincidence.
May 3 | Open Mic Read-Around | We will celebrate finished poems and prose pieces drafted and polished in this term of Thomas More University’s Writers Table. You are welcome to say a little about the prompt and the evolution of your creative piece before sharing it with us.