Registration open for poems of gratitude and praise class set Aug. 4, 11, 18
Registration has begun for the unique poetry class Writing Odes: Poems of Gratitude and Praise to be taught by poet, fiction writer and memoirist Ellen Collins. The three-week class offered by the Rehoboth Beach Writers' Guild will be held from 3 to 5 p.m., Thursdays, Aug. 4, 11 and 18, at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior behind Big Fish Grill. Registration will close once the class has filled, with participants being accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $135 for RBWG members and $150 for nonmembers.
This class, which is designed for beginning poets as well as more seasoned writers, will explore the traditional art form of writing poems of gratitude. The class will cover topics such as metaphor, personification and using all the senses to generate details. Participants will look at some traditional examples (Rumi, Keats) as well as contemporary poems and will experiment with writing praise poems about everyday objects, as renowned poet Pablo Neruda did when he chose subjects such as the tomato, the book and the conger eel. Best of all, participants will find delightful surprises that await them when they truly pay attention to what is around every day.
Seasoned teacher and writer Collins has conducted workshops for children and adults in Louisiana, Texas and Massachusetts. The author of the poetry collection, "The Memory Thief," her stories and poems have appeared in The Broadkill Review, Mettazine, Referential Magazine, No Place Like Here and "The Beach House." She is currently a teaching associate at the Elizabeth Ayres Center for Creative Writing and regularly teaches for the Rehoboth Beach Writers' Guild.
"Every time I hear or read Ellen's work, I feel inspired in my own writing," says guild Executive Director Maribeth Fischer. "I'm excited about this class, excited for other writers to have this chance to work so closely with her."
The Rehoboth Beach Writers' Guild is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating and nurturing writers of all skill levels and genres throughout Delmarva. For more information, go to www.rehobothbeachwritersguild.com. For more information or to RSVP for the class, email fischer.maribeth@gmail.com.
