Sunday, October 28, 2018
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

When most people think of "poetry," they think, "love," "heartbreak," "beauty," and "nature." They don't think "Richard Ramirez, AKA the Nightstalker." But there IS a thrilling intersection between poetry and crime, noir, detective lit, suspense, and horror that's dying to be explored.

Normally, poetry lights up the same part of the brain that music and meditation engages. It heightens our introspectiveness. It's an "I" thing. But suspense, surprise and fear light up the same part of the brain that—believe it or not—comedy engages: surprise. After the adrenaline drains, we feel more interconnected, like we're all in the same boat. It's a "we" thing, and we're going to tap into that "we.” As all writing is a way of understanding and engaging with the world, writing about these subjects can help us view actually traumatic situations in a less triggering way.

Here’s the tentative schedule. Times will depend on how many students we have.
10-10:45 am
Introductions
Inventory: what scares us
Creating fear, suspense, and narrative in the limited, distilled space of a poem

10:45-11:30 am
Poem 1: Hypnagogic hallucinations
“I wake to sleep”
Writing, reading and discussion

11:30-11:45 am
Break

11:45-12:30 am
Poem 2: True crime and DNA
”Not buried deep enough”
Writing, reading and discussion

12:30-1:00 pm
Lunch, stretch, meditation break

1:00-1:45 pm
Poem 3: Mass psychogenic illness 
”What’s up with all the zombie movies?”
Writing, reading and discussion

1:45-2:30 pm
Poem 4: Voices of the dead 
”Know-it-alls”
Model: Margaret Atwood, "This is a Photograph of Me"
Writing, reading and discussion

2:30-2:45 pm
Break

2:45-3:30 pm
Poem 5: The Shadow 
”It's been inside you all along”
Writing, reading and discussion

3:30-4:00 pm
Poem 6, lightning round: Ghost stories
”Bloody Mary”
Writing and reading

You'll be expected to read 8 poems before class starts, write responses to six prompts during class, then read and comment on the work of other participants. I'll email you and reading materials on Friday, October 19, or anytime you sign up after that. #murderinos most welcome!

DEADLINE FOR SIGN UP: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2018
10 spots
Intermediate level
$150
10 am Iowa time-4 pm with breaks for writing/lunch.
Email jenniferlknox at gmail for sign-up/details.