2-hour talk: Persona Poems: Stepping Out of Yourself
Silver City and Grant County Poet Laureate, Heather Frankland, will present the next workshop in The Write Stuff writing series, a 2-hour craft talk and generative workshop: Persona Poems, Stepping Out of Yourself.
This workshop will be offered on Saturday, April 12th, from 9 to 11 am at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City, 3845 N. Swan St, Silver City, NM. This workshop is part of the Poetry Long Weekend, a series of local poetry events offered the second weekend of April in connection with each other, demonstrating the strong poetry community we have in Silver City.
Often times, readers assume that the speaker of the poem is the poet talking about their own life. Persona poems challenge this reading and encourage readers to look at objects, famous characters, places differently. How do you inhabit another character? What challenges does that bring, and what successes can it inspire? You will leave with a few of your own persona poems.
Heather D. Frankland holds an MFA and a MPH from New Mexico State University. She was a Peace Corps and Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Peru and Panama. Her poetry chapbook, Midwest Musings, was published in Fall 2023 by Finishing Line Press, a chapbook that can be considered a love song to the Midwest. Her poetry and prose have been finalists and semifinalists in multiple contests. She has been published in Sweet Lit, Sin Fronteras Press, and others. In 2022, she was among 12 poets selected to attend Marge Piercy's Poetry Intensive Workshop. Originally from Indiana, she currently lives in Silver City, NM where she teaches at Western New Mexico University. She serves as the Silver City and Grant County Poet Laureate for 2024-2026. (Photo credit: Jay Hemphill)
The Write Stuff, a program sponsored by Southwest Word Fiesta and hosted by award-winning author and writing instructor Kris Neri shares the techniques required for writers to elevate the professionalism of their writings. This program has presented a series of in-depth writing workshops throughout the year, offered by a some of the most accomplished local authors and writing instructors on a variety of writing topics.
All workshops are free and open to the public. No reservations. Seating and parking is plentiful. A small donation is requested to pay for the use of the space, but no donation is required.
For more information, contact Kris Neri
