Poetry and the Tiny Sea in the Ear

The tiny sea in the ear
and the moth wing in the mind, which wait.
— Don McKay, “Early Instruments”

This workshop invites participants to explore our “early instruments” of imagination and experience through the language of poetry.

“The excitement of metaphor,” writes Don McKay, “stems from the injection of wilderness into language.” Add to this idea the excitement of any element of poetic making.

During these eight weeks, we will draft and develop poems that tap the surprise of tension and release, tease out what’s wild in the everyday, refresh expectation and sharpen expression.

In each session, we will respond to each other’s poems and work with one or more prompts. In most sessions we will look briefly at a strong contemporary poem and consider what we might borrow from it as a springboard to our writing.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Susan Gillis (she/her) has taught Creative Writing at Concordia University and John Abbott College, and has led poetry workshops with QWF, Los Parronales (Chile), Blue Met, in schools and in the community. Her four books have been nominated for several awards; Volta (2002) was awarded the A.M. Klein Prize. She is a founding member of the collaborative poetry group Yoko’s Dogs (Whisk, 2013; Rhinoceros, 2016; Caution Tape, 2021). Her most recent book is Yellow Crane (Brick 2018). She works as a freelance editor and mentor.