Arizona News – In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Flagstaff Area National Monuments will host poetry workshops on Saturday, April 15 and on Sunday, April 16 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Facilitated by poet Jodie Hollander, these free workshops will allow participants to create an original poem inspired by their connection to their public lands. Reservations are limited, and are accepted on a first come, first serve basis. Each workshop is limited to 15 participants. Email Ryan Carpenter at ryan_p_carpenter@nps.gov, or call (928) 526-3367 to reserve your spot today.
Landscape Poetry – Saturday, April 15 at Walnut Canyon National Monument from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Drawing inspiration from the breathtaking beauty of Walnut Canyon National Monument, this workshop offers participants an opportunity to take in the landscape around them and turn their observations into powerful and vivid poems. In this course, we’ll study examples of celebrated poems that effectively capture the wonder and beauty of nature. We’ll also discuss techniques such as metaphor, imagery, repetition, and sound as well as cover effective use of line breaks. No experience necessary.
After the Fire, Writing New Life – Sunday, April 16 at Sunset Crater Volcano Monument from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
For centuries, creating art, and writing poetry in particular, has served as a form of healing for hurt, pain and grief. Last year, the Tunnel Fire devastated and traumatized the Flagstaff community. In this workshop, we’ll discuss examples of celebrated poems that tackle these difficult topics and study effective techniques for channeling our pain into poetry. Then, through a series of writing prompts, we’ll delve into our own experiences and turn them into powerful, effective poems. This workshop is for anyone who is interested in the incredible transformative power of poetry to heal our wounds.
Jodie Hollander is the author of a full-length collection of poetry entitled My Dark Horses. Hollander studied poetry in England, and her poems have appeared in numerous journals including The Yale Review, The Poetry Review, and The Best Australian Poems of 2011 and 2015. She is a recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship in South Africa, a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant in Italy, a Hawthornden Fellowship in Scotland, and attended the MacDowell Colony in 2015.