WRITER’S CRAFT SESSION: JERICHO BROWN

Thursday, March 24, 1:30 – 2:45 PM

JERICHO BROWN: NONSENSE AND SENSELESSNESS

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown takes us on a dive into what’s going on when we read a poem and think, “That doesn’t make sense.” Former Poet Laureate Rita Dove says that “poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful,” yet many readers still struggle to understand the meanings of poems. Looking at examples of sense and nonsense in the work of several poets, we’ll explore the different techniques poets use to balance meaning and mystery. We’ll generate new work together through a set of unconventional exercises, drawing on the themes of sense and nonsense, engendering new ideas about writing. As there is a profound relationship between reading poetry and writing it, together we’ll read, discuss, and even recite the work of several poets whose examples might lead us to a further honing of our craft.

The Historic New Orleans Collection, 533 Royal Street, $25 or VIP Pass