New Orleans Writers Workshop Recap | Surprise!, Or How To Get Started (01/28/2023)

I want to share the activities of a poetry workshop, New Orleans Writers Workshop titled *Surprise!, or How To Get Started* , I participated in last year. As I perfect my writing craft, I enjoy exploring and learning different mediums of self-expression. At the of age nine, and greatly influenced by hip hop emcees, I became mesmerize by shaping words into images in rhythmic form. However, as an uneducated youth of hip hop culture, I was unaware that rap is poetry to a beat. But, as I matured, I learned to love poetry and what it has to offer the human soul and experience.

Greetings & Salutations, Artistikk R3b3lls!

Poetry Workshop Introduction

I had the pleasure to participate in New Orleans Writers Workshop titled *Surprise!, or How To Get Started* taught by poet and professor Brad Richard on January 28, 2023. It was a three-hour session on multi-genre focused on poetry.

Instructor

Brad Richard is a teacher, poet, writer of four poem books, and three chapbooks. He has received numerous awards for his poetry and co-founded and directed the New Orleans New Writers Literary Festival. In addition, Richard founded and directed the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of South Louisiana.

Brad Richard’s Poetry Workshop

During our instructors’ poetry workshop, he focused on six activities with an array of poem types, elements, and topics. By focusing on six, we were able to learn a plethora of poetry fundamentals to incorporate in our poems.

Workshop Activities

Each of the six activities allowed us to explore poem types or elements. I have included my own work for each activity to provide an example. Each poem are drafts from the course and are not complete works.

Activity I: One Word, One Poetry Line

The first activity required ***each participant to choose a word from a strip of paper and make it into a single poetry line.***

Important Note

I was close to thirty minutes late; therefore, I missed the opportunity to participate in the first activity.

Activity II: Binary Pattern – If, Then

The second activity was a team of two poets to use a binary pattern. ***The first poet used the word “If” and the second used “Then”.***

We took turns using an assigned word “If” or “Then”, write a statement, and fold the paper to hide a poet’s thoughts. Richard followed to ask each pair to read the statements and state an individuals’ favorite pair. This was interesting exercise because it demonstrated how poetry can be creative and crafted from unobvious commonalities.

Inquires and Thoughts

The instructor asked the following inquires and encouraged us to ponder these thoughts.

Question #1

Why is it so hard to be original?

Question #2

How can I say something differently?

Unsimilar Comparisons, Awaken Imagination

Richard stated “as humans we have similar experiences”, but “we bring our uniqueness to our poetry.” “Mishearing’s brings imagination.”

I learned that we do not have to grapple with attempting to make our poetry prolific, but consider forming and comparing unsimilar objects. It is through dissimilar comparisons and topics; we awaken our imagination.

Activity III: Anaphora

The third activity’s nucleus was to ***create poetry using an anaphora.***

Anaphora

Anaphora is when a series of clauses that begin with the same element. For example, I try, or Why not? I was unknowledgeable of the term anaphora nor how to use it, to create magic through words.

Enjambment

In addition, Richard wanted us to understand, learn, and respect the significance of punction and line endings within a poet’s writings. He introduced us to the term: enjambment. We engaged in a class exercise reading a poem, with each student pausing at the end of stanza, punctuation, and couplets. We discussed how pauses and punction changes the flow of a poem.

Activity Example

Our activity required us to choose an anaphora and write for twelve minutes. After our allocated time to write, we volunteered to read. Below I have included my poetry writing for our activity. I choose the anaphora, “I fly”.

My “I fly” Anaphora Poem

NOTE: Poem not edited from poetry workshop

*I Fly*

I fly within systems of solar hoping to learn what I see upon the gust of my arms.

I fly into structures that systems fear seeking the glory of what’s to come. If clouds could levitate, I fly beneath their skin as bird swings from south to north.

I fly to yearn of the nights of winds I cried to escape the boundaries forced upon my ancestors. I fly outer the sun so I can gaze upon its heat and beautify my skin.

I fly to walls as I crawl to sniff and smell scents of blood dripping from over-extended workers laying the foundations of isms into a corrupted system. I fly with weakness of others I bore when I slide from the canals of my mother’s birth pain.

I fly from institutions who idles I refuse to comply and unto thy shadows of never to be seen. Only If I fly, I choose to dive unto the sea scraping the bottom of fishes I have never seen. Unto the sand of darkness between the skin of heels I learn to swim.

I fly with the sharks and species I learn to live with for I have no other companions, I seek to love. I fly with the weird creatures; I fear so can abide by their environment and not force my will unto their being. Who am I not to fly?

I fly with forces that systems create as I tender to my loves who can’t escape. Unto oceans from the sea, bodies of water, shades of birds, passing the eagles, I emerge.

I fly when no one is looking, for I don’t know when my wings will break. If I fly, I too, can teach you to fly. I fly amongst the stars unto galaxies that milk don’t spoil, and there’s no way to taunt me for who I care.

I fly where planets don’t exist and we have no name for what we see. I fly surrounding light fusing darkness to colors we have never seen. Who am I not to fly?

I fly beyond hearts who scream with fear. I fly for you who don’t know what’s to come. I fly for us so we know we can stand in the chair and not jump.

*Signed,*

The LightBringer
I am the eagle that flies ABOVE.

***Jasmine Monique***

Creativity & Imagination to my Surprise! | Anaphora

After we wrote our anaphora, Richard requested us to share. I obliged and as I read, I was pleasantly surprised to hear my random thoughts written in twelve minutes created something remarkable. Anytime I write, I tend edit. However, the instructor forbid us and directed us to keep writing. As I read, many of my fellow classmates enjoyed my poem. I was shocked. He encouraged us to continue developing our poem, after the workshop.

Lastly, you may infer from the date of this workshop recap, I did not follow-up with continuing my poem. However, as I write this recap, a year, and a few months after the workshop, I will allocate time to complete it. *Yikes!*

Activity IV: Reading Poetry, One Stanza @ a Time

The fourth activity centered on ***reading different types of poetry, one stanza per student, and discussing it.***

This activity introduced the class to an array of elements through various poetry. We learned to improve our poetry; we must read different poetry styles by a multiplicity of poets.

Activity V: Three Minute Free Writing

Our fifth writing activity was to ***free write for three minutes of anything.***

Richard provided the following Free Writing Objectives:

Free Writing Objectives

Don’t stop
Be specific
Let yourself go
Keep Going
Don’t focus on complete sentences

The Three Minute Free Writing Exercise included the following items:

Three Minute Free Writing Exercise

First, spend three minutes whatever come to your mind
Big or little things, anything that has been on your mind
Be specific as you can

I composed three ideas for friendship, unemployment, and project synopsis on my resume.

I. Friendship

A friendship I thought would last a long-time involving Magic The Gathering (MTG) and extend to other facets such as discussing ideas or participating in other activities. It abruptly ended via text from my friend when stated I was taking a break from MTG. I thought we could socialize, meet for coffee, or play chess, but he stated if the reason he socialized without someone changes he moves on.

II. Unemployment

I need to complete my unemployment application on LA Hire to receive unemployment.

III. Project Synopsis for Resume

I need to draft a project summary of Puerto Rico Recovery Project while I was working at Blue Streak Technologies to add to my LinkedIn and Resume.

Instructor’s Three Unique situations

After we wrote for three minutes selecting our own topics, the instructor provided stated three unique situations. The topics were favorite book, first memory you think of about childhood, and something you want to understand.

Favorite Book

Malcom Gladwell’s Outliers because it provides an analysis of winners and losers based on design.

First Memory you think of about Childhood

LaSalle Street court, brick playset with circle crafted holes, we as children can fit and crawl.

Something you want to understand

My Life’s Purpose. Why have my life beyond my own decisions fit or even extend, or neither into the universe of Yahweh’s Plan?

Activity VI: Zuihitsu

Our sixth and last activity was to ***write a Zuihitsu poem.***

Zuihitsu

Zuihitsu is a poem about thoughts that are associated with a different form of how to connect things.

Our instructor stated we could research Kimiko Han on American Poetry Research for learning Zuihitsu. I have included my Zuihitsu poem, I created doing the workshop as an example. I edited the original poem for grammar errors. After all, I was attempting not to edit myself, and wrote whatever came to mind.

Zuihitsu Activity for Free Writing

NOTE: Poem not edited from poetry workshop

*Friends Combat: A Zuihitsu*

A young woman sits in her chair in front of brown, black stripped L-Shaped desked purchased from Walmart, sits three 12in black monitors abreast monitor holders with steel black holes. Her monitors are black for their blankness is lost in her thoughts. Texting on an Android phone to a lost friendship hoping to maintain some form of connection to the man she texts. Not anything romantic or erotic, strictly platonic.

Unemployed, a productive and sporadic mind, skips neurons fighting her thoughts of misunderstanding. Searching for where do I complete a request for a second chance? LaHire differs from my hands to text a friend now lost in the wind.

Breeze from the window I feel his emptiness of not caring. Tis I have no chance in reconciling with a sociopath. It is okay. She learns intention from someone who share not heart explains more than a wicked player could ever thought.

Thinking about the card shop player, an employee with skin, not same color as his, is an indication of racism marked by his masculinity, fear by the gay. Misconceptions in spaces you are not familiar, yet, not interested nor intrigued by cultures created without you. So quick to judge for they do not fear your presence, why should they if you are who you are?

Even so, your isolation is worrisome. You are who I do not want to be. A fake friend that I never lost. Cardboard with images of water and plains graced with angels and creatures, ones and two, toughness and power, only a Planeswalker know.

Drawing cards for the extra win, beyond the artifacts you cast, legendary skills. ENTER COMBAT!

20 life points starts the race. Which human you will displace? 19 for the poke to a face. Instant to negate negative five, HALT, no win. Stuck at 19 for 18 minutes. Clock of 45 minutes quickly counting down to zero minutes on the clock. Foes’ life at 20 remains as it stays. No creature you cast will decrease my life span.

*Signed,*

The LightBringer
I am the eagle that flies ABOVE.

***Jasmine Monique***

Creativity & Imagination to my Surprise! | Zuihitsu

I was unknowledgeable of Zuihitsu poems. Many of my classmates and I found this difficult to write attempting to connect associated ideas, but in a unique way. I started with my home office. In addition, I used an experience as my starting point. Nevertheless, I am glad I learned a new poem type I did not learn in high school or college.

Pertinent Takeaways and Quotes

Our instructor provided us with essential takeaways and quotes.

Takeaways

Patterns and Rules can be your friend
Structure provides guidance
What people can do with rules is what makes it different
Focus on Concrete imaginary
Give yourself the freedom to write badly

Quotes

Unsure or Quote Author

“Words are making love”

Marvin Bell

“There is no such thing as writer’s block, only the fear of writing badly”

Federico Garcia Lorca

“The poet is the professor of the five bodily senses.”

Binary Patterns

Richard informed us of these binary patterns to incorporate into our poetry:

If/Then
Question/Answer
Why/Because
When/And when

Summary of Workshop Activities

We worked the following workshop activities:

Repetition in the Anaphora
Binary Pattern in a Sentence
Chants and Luck in a Pairing Activity
All connect with Emotions and Memories
All ignite Imagination and get Creativity going
Work on Memory and get it going

Conclusion

In conclusion, I greatly enjoyed Brad Richard’s workshop, Surprise!, Or How To Get Started. I loved Richard’s humor and involvement with the class. In our three -hour session, we engaged in beneficial activities to improve and understand different types and approaches to writing poetry. I highly recommend all poets of various expertise to participate in a New Orleans Writers Workshop’s classes. You will learn something new and improve your current abilities. Most importantly, I recommend you register for one of Brad Richard’s poetry sessions.

*Signed*

The LightBringer

I am the eagle that flies ABOVE.