Master Class in Poetry with Darrell Bourque

Posted: Oct 23, 2012 5:03 PM by Melissa Canone
Updated: Oct 23, 2012 5:21 PM

Residents of Acadiana have a special opportunity to take a Master Class in Poetry with Darrell Bourque.

Send three poems that you want considered for treatment in the master class. One (1) of the three will be picked for treatment in the class. Darrell will pick the one he thinks will be of most benefit to both the poet and the other people in the master class. When considering the three poems, please do not send in poems that you are ready to 'defend to the death.' They certainly may be poems that you consider finished but do not send in anything that you don't want worked over or explored. The workshop will consist mainly of looking at the selected poems in terms of these six poetic intelligences: diction, line, sentence, music/sound, trope, argument. Length of individual poems not specified but the poet should use some judgement about what might be most useful and most manageable in a class like this one. 12 poets, 180 minutes: you do the math.

Darrell Bourque's books are Plainsongs; The Doors Between Us; Burnt Water Suite; The Blue Boat; Call and Response: Conversations in Verse; In Ordinary Light, New and Selected Poems; and Holding the Notes. He served as Louisiana Poet Laureate in 2007-2008 and 2009-2011. He is Professor Emeritus in English at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Poems can be sent either by email dbourque@centurytel.net or snail mail 1259 Jessie Richard Road, Church Point LA 70525. Submissions have to be postmarked by deadline and formatting submitted in emails is the formatting that will be used in the master class. For questions: festivalwords@gmail.com; 337-662-1032.

What: Master Class in Poetry with Darrell Bourque

Date: Saturday, December 8

Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Location: TBA--in St. Landry Parish

Submission deadline: Monday, November 19th

Notification of acceptance: Monday, November 26th
Fee: $75