The Five Senses of Poetry and Fiction
with Yun Wei
The best writing immerses the audience in a specific and memorable experience, or as Flannery O’Connor puts it, “the reader has the sense that it is unfolding around him.” The most direct way of pulling your reader into the experience is by activating their five senses. In this workshop, we will look at how sight infuses settings with emotion, how sound creates atmosphere, how smell and taste build a specific cultural setting, and how touch connects us to each other and the physical world. We will examine poetry excerpts where the five senses are maximized, and short fiction that breathes beyond the page. We will apply the senses in practical exercises, using the structures of fiction to clarify your poetry, and the richness of poetry to infuse your stories. This is a mixed genre workshop – all are welcome, just come with an appetite!
Schedule
10am - 12:30pm Morning Workshop
Announcements
12:45 - 2pm Bring your own picnic lunch to share
2 - 4:30pm Afternoon critiquing: session (if reading, 1400 words maximum
or 2 poems; bring 20 copies). Fees are 20 if reading, 10 if not.
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Sign up at genevawriters@gmail.com
Other participants are welcome!
Payments can be made online via the GWG website, or in cash on the day
