Poetry of Presence: Make Poetry Out of Everyday Moments

Make eye contact with someone on the subway, forget your umbrella on the stormiest of days, notice a house on your street you'd never noticed before? Some of the greatest poems share the most ordinary of moments. In this workshop, students will be given writing prompts to shape poems from their daily routines. We'll also look at examples by Naomi Shihab Nye, Marie Howe, Dorianne Laux, Lucille Clifton, Belle Waring, Joy Harjo and Ellen Bass.

Emily Sernaker is a writer living in New York and studying at Pacific University. Her work has appeared in McSweeney's, Ms. Magazine Online, GOOD Media, Rattle, New Ohio Review, Brooklyn Poets and Politics and Prose District Lines. Her recent publications include poetry about her favorite crossing guard and finding joy in job interviews.