Learning the Rules to Break the Rules in Poetry

About this course:

Before modern times, plays, stories, ballads, epics, parables, etc. began as oral tradition and were shared using the rhymes, rhythms, and patterns we now recognize as poetry. And though formal poetry can feel intimidating or restricting, at one point, it was every day. In this workshop, writers of all levels will be reacquainted with the sounds of poetry and learn the rules of fixed forms--sonnets, villanelles, sestinas, and pantoum--not to master them, but to break them. From the pieces we may just find the best words, sounds, and shapes for containing some big emotions.