Welcome to ArtWorks' Summer 2008 Program: Creating & Market Poetry

The Project: Creating & Marketing Poetry

This summer we’ll spend about three weeks writing poetry on a number of different topics. Together we’ll look at examples of poems from both teens and professional poets. We’ll talk about the elements of poetry: The image (metaphor), sound, rhythm, and line. We’ll work to develop proficiency with all these elements. You’ll be asked to work both individually and in groups, as we move into the critiquing, work-shopping, and revising processes. At least once you will be asked to co-teach the group some element of this process.

At the end of about three weeks, as part of the whole group and functioning as an editorial board, you will help choose the three best poems of each member. From these will develop a “theme” for the chapbook of about 36 pages, which we will then begin to design.

We will talk with Anne Kingsbury, Director of Woodland Pattern Book Shop, and Molly Carey
of Clark Graphics to get ideas about how best to design and market the book we have. We will talk about how best to market our book to the audience(s) we have in mind.

In addition to the three poems from everyone, you will be asked to write a piece commenting on your poems and the process that went into creating them. This, with your photograph, will also go into the book.

We will attend two evening poetry readings and will analyze and evaluate what makes a good reading. You will practice reading your poems in preparation for our own poetry reading on the last evening of the project. As a group, you will be involved in planning and arranging for the reading.

Throughout the summer, on a daily basis, you will be asked to reflect on your processes in your journal, supplied by Artworks. You will share parts of this journal with me during individual evaluations. You will also share parts of this journal to transfer to the project blog.