Canadian Authors-Toronto: Poetry 101

In honour of National Poetry Month, Authors–Toronto is delighted to welcome members and non-members to take part in an introductory poetry workshop with popular Toronto writer, editor, and writing teacher Kathryn Mockler.

Much sought-after for her engaging and accessible teaching style, Mockler is the author of four books of poetry and six short films. She is also the Canada editor of Joyland: a hub for short fiction, the publisher of The Rusty Toque, and teaches creative writing at Western University.

Poets and poetry-curious writers in all genres are invited to take this opportunity to practice their craft and/or explore how thinking like a poet can help with prose and creative non-fiction.

Regardless of what type of writing you do or how long you’ve been at it, everyone can benefit from studying how poets play with language, sound, and imagery.

Reserve your spot now for what promises to be a warm, welcoming, and stress-free introduction to the form. Mockler will start by asking, “What is a poem?” and “Why do we write poetry?” By sharing poems and having participants write and respond to them, she’ll explore how poets use language, comparison, ambiguity, ambivalence, and variation to shape the basic elements of a poem into a finished piece. Participants will be guided through writing exercises based on simple prompts, and they will have opportunities to share (or not share) their work with the group.

Poets are welcome to attend! We think it never hurts to go back to the fundamentals, no matter how familiar you are with the form.

We also recommend this workshop for writers in mixed-genre writing groups. Whether or not you intend to start writing your own poems, this workshop will help you provide constructive feedback on other people’s poems.

Click here to read a great blog post on “10 Reasons for a Prose Writer to Do a Poetry Course.”

What to bring: Please bring your own writing supplies. We recommend a favourite notebook and a pen or pencil, but if you’re like some of us and can only access your writing brain while working on a computer or other device, please bring it with you, and be prepared to type gently!

Tickets: To reserve your spot, click on the blue GET TICKETS icon on the right side of this page and follow the prompts. Canadian Authors Association members can reserve one free ticket each by using the first category, for members. Non-members should choose the General Admission ticket in the second category.

Problems booking your ticket? Contact Authors–Toronto co-president Lee Parpart at TOpresident1@canadianauthors.org.

Raffle:

Be sure to bring cash for our raffle! Raffle tickets can also be purchased through this website, underneath the regular ticketing option.

Cost: $2 each; $5/three; $10/seven