As the year begins to wind down, nostalgia often tends to take hold as we all begin looking back on the year, and deciding what we've made of it. Recollections & Retrospections: A Creative Examination of our Mind's Eye is a poetry workshop intended to interrogate the creative role of memories, using the writers' personal recollections as fuel for the creative writing process. During each class, Dr. Anne Acker will introduce three different styles of poetry intended for each day's associated theme.

Day One, September 10th, will be a day dedicated to Personal Memory. For this class, the work begins from home--students should bring a work appropriate object from their house (the longer they've owned the item the better). After a round of storytelling and creative brainstorming, students will write a poem about said item before sharing their work with the class for further refinement. This exercise encourages students to consider themselves and their lives through a creative lens, harnessing their poet's eye and nuturing the necessity for the mind's attention to finer details within the poetic process.

Day Two, September 17th, depicts a Memory Through Someone Else's Eyes. During this class, Dr. Acker will introduce students to the creative style of Ekphrastic Poetry before providing a slideshow of images depicting a variety of famous art pieces for students to choose from. Once comfortable with what they've generated, students will share with the class for further improvement. This activity illustrates a poet's memory as a conduit between their mind's eye and the page, demonstrating yet another instance of a poet's memory working as a fuel that stimulates the creative process.

The Final Day of this workshop, September 24th, revolves around a Cultural Memory--specifically, current events. This session will utilize the poetic style of Blackout Poetry as well as a variety of current events magazines to provoke the students' minds to creative thought, using their memories of the world around them to convey their artistic expression. This exercise emphasizes the importance of the external world and how it informs a poet's internal world, establishing a relationship between how creative minds interact with the world around them and how poets wish to approach the world via their art form.

This workshop is bound to be a fun and artistically introspective experience as students explore their mind's eye, and learn the ways in which poetry caters to personal examination through writing prompts, guided discussions, and supportive peer feedback.

Expect a renewed sense of connection to your voice, your stories, and the rhythm of your creative process.

All levels welcome. Bring a notebook, your favorite pen, and a readiness to write from the heart.

ETSU employees may use employee audit.

To request a Temporary Parking Pass, click here: http://www.etsu.edu/fa/fs/parking.