In this interactive poetry writing workshop, we will explore the three essential tools that every poet relies on: image, sound, and form. Through practical writing exercises, participants will learn how to create rich images that set the tone and the stakes of the poem, dictate its rhythm, and to use form to “show rather than tell.”

Workshop Fee: 19 KWD

By the end of this 2-hour workshop, students will:

● Read a Shakespearean sonnet and see how modern writers have responded to the form.

● Learn how to use different words to create rich images that set the mood, tone, and meaning of the poem.

● Create rhythm in their line without relying on end rhymes, for instance, by using consonance and assonance, beats and stress, anaphora, and other techniques.

● Learn how to “show” rather than “tell” by manipulating the form. These formal techniques include understanding how poetic lines differ from sentences, how to organize the fourteen lines and make use of white space, and how enjambment can create tension or add another layer of meaning.

● Write their own 14-line poem using the writing exercises in class.

● Acquire a packet with more poems and writing prompts to help them work on their poetic skills long after the workshop.

About the Workshop Facilitator:

The workshop will be facilitated by Nada Faris, a writer and certified coach for creatives. Faris holds an MFA in Creative Writing in Poetry from Columbia University and has represented Kuwait in the UK and in the US. She has received an Arab Woman Award from Harper’s Bazaar Arabia in the category of Inspirational Woman for her impact on creatives in Kuwait, and is, furthermore, the author of multiple books in different genres. Her shorter works have appeared in The Norton Anthology for Hint Fiction, Gulf Coast Journal, Indianapolis Review, Nimrod, Tribes, One Jacar, The American Journal of Poetry, and more.

This event has concluded.