Emily Dickinson’s Nature Poetry: A Generative Workshop (Age 15+): Part 2 of 2

February 2 & 16 from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Emily Dickinson is one of the finest exponents of nature in the field of American poetry. A very close observer of nature in its rich diversity, she shows a rare understanding of the relationship between people and nature in her work. Deeply involved in resolving the mystery of nature, she wrote more than five hundred poems on the subject! In this workshop, we’ll write our own poems inspired by hers through multiple prompts. We’ll closely study many of Dickinson’s nature poems, consider both the deeper significances in her more scenic poems and of the pictorial elements in her more philosophical poems, and discuss how metaphors and religion impact her work. Participants are encouraged to use whatever they feel most comfortable writing with: pen and paper, computer, or phone note.

Teaching Artist: John Sibley Williams

John Sibley Williams is the author of Scale Model of a Country at Dawn (Cider Press Review Book Award, 2021), The Drowning House (Elixir Press Poetry Award, 2021),  As One Fire Consumes Another (Orison Poetry Prize, 2019), Skin Memory (Backwaters Prize, University of Nebraska Press, 2019), skycrape (WaterSedge Poetry Chapbook Contest), Summon (JuxtaProse Chapbook Prize, 2019),  Disinheritance, and Controlled Hallucinations. His book Sky Burial: New & Selected Poems is forthcoming in translated form by the Portuguese press do lado esquerdo. He has also served as editor of two Northwest poetry anthologies, Alive at the Center (Ooligan Press, 2013) and Motionless from the Iron Bridge (barebones books, 2013). 

A thirty-five-time Pushcart nominee, John is the winner of numerous awards, including the Laux/Millar Prize, Wabash Prize, Philip Booth Award, Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize, American Literary Review Poetry Contest, Phyllis Smart-Young Prize, The 46er Prize, Nancy D. Hargrove Editors’ Prize, Confrontation Poetry Prize, and Vallum Award for Poetry. Previous publishing credits include: Best American Poetry, Yale Review, Midwest Quarterly, Southern Review, Colorado Review, Sycamore Review, Prairie Schooner, Massachusetts Review, and various anthologies. 

John holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Rivier University and an MA in Book Publishing from Portland State University. He is the founder and head teacher of Caesura Poetry Workshop, a virtual workshop series, and serves as co-founder and editor of The Inflectionist Review. He also works as a poetry editor and book coach. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Cost: $45 Member / $50 Non-Member

Free youth classes are made possible by the Art Center East Youth Arts Learning Fund. The Fund is supported by the Avista Foundation, Autzen Foundation, Blue Mountain Bottled Water, Eastern Oregon University, Grande Ronde Med Spa, Gray Family Foundation, Haley Hines at Blue Summit Realty, JTMF Foundation, Koza Family Dental, La Grande School District, Miller Foundation, Nate Conklin at State Farm, Optimist International of La Grande, Soroptimist International of La Grande, Tanner Willson at Edward Jones, Walmart Foundation, and community member donations.

Note:  Fill out a Youth Release Form and submit an RSVP for your own children ONLY. Please be sure to add the name of each child who will attend.

Parents/guardians of youth age 17 or younger: if you haven’t already done so, CLICK HERE to fill out a Youth Release Form in order for your child to participate in ACE youth classes.

There are limited spots available for this class! If you RSVP and later find you’re unable to attend, please email ACE Youth Coordinator at [email protected] to cancel your RSVP. This helps ACE open up spots for other interested students. Thank you!

Location: Virtual

Register here: Emily Dickinson’s Nature Poetry: A Generative Workshop (Age 15+): Part 1 of 2