The joke is that all poems are about love and death. But what about politics, history, environmental catastrophe? Or the endless mystery of existence? Or simply the view out the kitchen window? (It can contain far more than you’d expect.) 

The work of a poet can be like that of an investigator or reporter, but with more freedom, and, perhaps, more possibility. Armed with curiosity, metaphor and the rhythm of the line, poets travel quietly among us: observing, studying, wondering. They pose questions others can’t, and often rewrite what we thought we understood.

In this workshop we will consider the deep inquiry embedded within poems: inquiry into self, into history (personal or public or both), into the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We will read and discuss poems representing a range of voices and styles, engaging with the craft through our senses first. Participants will do some practice writing, and go home with tools they can use as “poet reporters” themselves.

Location: Ottawa Public Library, Sunnyside branch
Address: 1049 Bank
Time: Postponed
Length: Postponed