Master Class: Controlled Chaos [Ellen Bass]

A certain kind of poem reaches out a long arm and sweeps disparate, unexpected things into its net. It scoops in a great deal of material that is more or less obviously related. It doesn’t hug the shore or walk a narrow line. It retains a kind of wildness. Yet the elements have enough magnetic attraction, enough resonance, that the writing feels organically whole. We’ll look at examples and give suggestions for bringing more controlled chaos into your own writing, and we’ll write a draft of a new poem in the workshop. It is strongly recommended that you attend the Word Works lecture at Hugo House on Sept. 23.

Co-Presented with LiTFUSE.