Writing Meaningfully in an Election Year: The Poetry of Politics and Witness

 

 

Poetry has always served as a form of social and political resistance. From the ghettos of warn-torn Warsaw to the American civil rights movement, poets have, historically, been a voice for the unrepresented as well as catalysts for social change. In our cultural moment, a growing number of writers are compelled to engage in political topics in their work. However, due to the misinformation on social media, the overwhelming nature of the 24-hour news cycle, and the often-isolating culture of our craft, it is often difficult to find meaningful ways to incorporate our political selves into our poetry. With these challenges in mind, this workshop will explore how our current social & political landscape has galvanized this traditional political role of the writer, examine the craft elements of political poetry, and provide tools and exercises to find ones political voice in their writing practice.

 

About the instructor: Keith Kopka is the author of Count Four (University of Tampa Press, 2020). His poetry and criticism have recently appeared in Best New Poets, Mid-American Review, New Ohio Review, Berfrois, Ninth Letter, The International Journal of The Book, and many others. He is the author of the critical text, Asking a Shadow to Dance: An Introduction to the Practice of Poetry and the recipient of the 2017 International Award for Excellence from the Books, Publishing & Libraries Research Network. Kopka is also the co-founder and the Director of Operations for Writers Resist and a Senior Editor at Narrative Magazine.