Slipping into Sestinas and other approaches to form

"To break a rule you have to know the rule. A blunder is not a revolution." - Ursula K. Le Guin

Sometimes forms like sestinas or sonnets can feel restrictive or challenging to write in - but form also has the ability to tune us into the mechanisms that make poetry sing. Join us for this special Bee Balm Arkansas workshop at NWA Book Fest to take a closer look at poetic forms.

This class is for writers of all skill levels (beginners welcome!), and will be taught by Revision Night co-lead and University of Arkansas MFA student Schuyler Brooks.

Why play with form in your poetry? Forms give us ways to focus on a specific element - rhythm, repetition, or rhyme - while holding the tension of content through expectation and tradition. By understanding the way forms work and how they have traditionally been broken, this workshop will help you bring play back into your formal poetic practice, or try it for the first time.

New to writing or form? Don't be shy! This workshop is for all skill levels. Bring something to write with (pen and paper, or a device!) and let's slip into form together.

A packet with rules of various forms, examples, and craft tips will be provided.

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Schuyler Brooks is a MFA student at the University of Arkansas. They are a dedicated poet, a multimedia maker, and a top tier booty shaker. They have been published in Bare Back Magazine, Isele Magazine's Queer Joy Quarterly, 3Elements Review, and other publications. Schuyler co-leads Bee Balm Arkansas Revision Night on the thirteenth of every month.

Host or Publisher NWA Book Fest