Russell in front of Carl Sandburg House,, NC
photo credit – David Wething
The Bemidji Community Art Center is proud to present area Poet – Carol Ann Russell for the first in a series of three Spoken Word Events for the 2013 Season.
READING – Join us on March 1st as a part of the First Friday Art Walk for a reception with Russell who will be reading selected poems from previously published books and sharing work from her new manuscript. Reception begins at 5:30, reading at 6 pm with Q&A and signing to follow. This event is free and open to the public.
POETRY WORKSHOP – In conjunction with the reading the Art Center will be hosting a writer’s workshop with Carol Ann Russell – on Saturday March 1st from 9am to noon. Pre-Registration is required - $40 for Adults / $20 for Students. To register call the art center at 218-444-7570 OR email at bcac@paulbunyan.net
“The POEM as Kaleidoscope: Genre Fractyl”
The poem is a kind of hologram of possible form and content, a container of images and patterns which can generate many new creative pieces for the writer. I will begin by explaining my theory of the Poem as Genre Fractyl, and illustrate by sharing several typed copies of poems to support discussion. I will also teach participants how to apply a similar analysis to poems of their own, and how to see each poem (no matter how incomplete or flawed) as a map of increased consciousness, both of the artistic process and of the potential inherent with an individual piece of created writing.
Thus, although our focus will be upon poetry and individual poems, our understanding will expand to include potential future work in related genres: creative nonfiction, particularly memoir; short fiction; and experimental writing. Carol Ann Russell
Participants are asked to please bring no more than 2-3 pages of their own poetry: TYPED, with 13 copies to share. (Work cannot be discussed unless the poet brings xeroxed, typed copies for all participants and workshop leader).
Following in-depth discussion of each poet’s pieces by the workshop leader, and time permitting, the workshop will conclude with a session designed to help generate new work: dynamic exercises and ideas to stimulate writing will be offered and participants will be guided through a process of creation while in attendance.
This workshop will be of interest to anyone who has been writing poetry and seeking guidance from poet-teachers along the way. The intent of the workshop is to assist poets in seeing their poems as holographic containers of images (and “stories”) which have a life of their own, separate from the original intention of the poet; and which, furthermore, possess a creative impetus toward ever differentiating FORMS (some of which defy traditional genre categories or even flow into other artistic media).
You can hear Carol Ann read her poem “Fishing” on KAXE’s – The Beat
Upcoming Spoken Word Events
June – Minnesota Poet Laureate – Joyce Setphen – June 21st and 22nd
September – Non-fiction writer – Tom Evans – September 6th and 7th
