Writers Writing -The Surprising Form of Memory: Writing a Pantoum

Explore a fascinating form of poetry: the pantoum. Registration required.

The ancient pantoum is an ideal form for writing about the past. With a little direction, even uncertain writers are eased into shaping their crystalline memories, and more experienced writers will have the chance to delve into subjects that might not have opened up for them before.

Lauren Camp will offer brief historical background on the form, then lead students in an idea-generating exercise to produce raw material for each student’s unique pantoum. Students will begin to see the juxtaposition and reverberation of sound and themes. Excitement builds quickly as students follow the form through to its ending.

Open to all levels. Come prepared with pen, paper and enthusiasm.

Lauren Camp is the author of five books, most recently Took House (Tupelo Press). She is the recipient of the Dorset Prize and was a finalist for the Arab American Book Award. Her poems have appeared in DIAGRAM, Poem-a-Day, Witness, Kenyon Review, and elsewhere, and have been translated into Mandarin, Turkish, Spanish, and Arabic. Learn more at www.laurencamp.com