Poetry Writing Intensive w/ Award-Winning Poet Rick Hilles

Learn more about writing poems of joy and resilience in dark times with acclaimed poet and Vanderbilt professor Rick Hilles. All levels!
About this Event

In moments of upheaval and uncertainty, poetry offers a way to process, persevere, and find joy amid darkness. Join award-winning poet Rick Hilles for an inspiring intensive that explores how writing can be an act of resilience and resistance. Together, you will read, write, and share poems that celebrate the enduring power of art to heal and illuminate. Whether you are a seasoned poet or new to writing, this workshop is a space to explore creativity as a balm and a beacon in challenging times.

"In the dark times, will there be singing? Yes, there will be singing - of the dark times." - Bertolt Brecht

When poet-playwright Bertolt Brecht wrote these words in exile during the rise of Nazi Germany, he recognized the power of art to persist, even in the face of despair. In our own era of upheaval - marked by relentless challenges and "biblical weather" that tests our resilience - poetry remains a vital force.

Guided by the belief that, as Toi Derricotte said, "Joy is a form of resistance," we will read, write, and share poems that bear witness to these truths. Together, we'll embrace the call to, as Samuel Beckett put it, "put our stains upon the silence."

No prior experience is required — just curiosity, a willingness to write, and something to write with.

The workshop cost is $50 and includes the three-hour session on Sunday, November 8, from 2-5 p.m.

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR:

Rick Hilles is an award-winning poet and teacher whose work has appeared in Poetry, The Paris Review, The Nation, The New Republic, Missouri Review, and many other leading literary journals. He is the author of Brother Salvage, winner of the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize, and A Map of the Lost World, a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award.

Hilles is a former Stegner Fellow in Poetry at Stanford University and has received numerous honors and fellowships in support of his work. He is currently a professor of literature and creative writing at Vanderbilt University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in poetry and writing.