The Mechanics of Metaphor: A Poetry Workshop

• Dates: April 5 & 6, Sat 9:30 am-4 pm & Sun 9:30 am-12:30 pm
• Location: Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street, Madison
• Instructor: Laurel Yourke
  
• Fee: $105 Sat. (Includes optional oral critique of 1 poem), $135 Sat. and Sun. (opitonal orla critique of 1 poem, plus written critique of a 2nd poem)
  
• Limit: 17
  
• Program: # 6711
  
• How to register

Enrollees: if you wish please send your 1 or 2 poems (depending on enrollment), preferably by 3/26, to lyourke@dcs.wisc.edu or 620 Lowell, 610 Langdon St., Madison WI 53703—1195.

Description:

Metaphor is the engine driving the poem. But how does the machinery work? How do you choose a workable symbol, sustain but not overdo, and use this magical apparatus to drive your point home? The weekend offers analysis of published poems, publication tips, excursions into the world of metaphor and optional critique.

Metaphor is where poetry’s at:

“I would be willing to throw away everything else but that: enthusiasm tamed by metaphor. Let me rest the case there. I do not think anybody ever knows the discreet use of metaphor, his own or other people’s, unless he has been properly educated in poetry.”  ~  Robert Frost

You’ll begin your journey into the world of metaphor by exploring the roots of poetry itself. Just how significant a role did metaphor play? How much, if at all, has this role changed over time?

From the origins of poetry you’ll move on to the deep structure of your own poems. Just how do metaphors do their work?

• Duplicity. Are your metaphors grounded in the real world?
• Focus. Are you diluting your central metaphor by distracting your readers with intriguing but irrelevant side trips?
• Verbs. Do your metaphors pierce the fabric of the syntax itself?
• Intuition. Do your metaphors unveil what Aristotle called “the common intuitive perception of the similarity between dissimilar things”?
• Clarity. Do your metaphors cloak instead of illuminate?

Metaphor is far more like a machine than it isn’t. Check the oil, the air in the tires and the condition of the alternator, and the journey flows forward. Ignore the little—and big!—details—and you won’t trust your metaphor. What happens? Your poem grinds to a halt in the worst possible place: the final line. This workshop explores ways to trust your metaphor enough to let your poem speak for itself.

Together we’ll investigate metaphor, critique each other’s poems (optional), make a start on a poem or two (or three), and leave with some illumination of why Sarah Maclay calls “the project of poetry similar to the project of dreaming…it revolves around making new connections – the resulting spark of one thing hitting another in an unexpected way produces a kind of energy.”

 

What former participants have said about Laurel...

“Thank you for the effort you put into these workshops.” - Jane Koucmoud, Sheboygan, WI

“As always, I enjoyed Dr. Yourke’s prepared presentations, including the accompanying printed material.  She is able to analyze poetry as form and as art as can no one else.  She sees through the writing process, which is a great gift to student writers.  In this case, the gift centered around helping us to recognize our muse and making him/her/it welcome.  It is clear to me that I need to make some changes, in my place of writing, my process and my attitudes, i.e., what I expect.  As silence layers the night I seek to be on watch, taking notes.  I also appreciate her incisive critique of submitted poems, and the sharing process of the class, and its positive style of critique.  Now, I have notes, a cache of fine poems by good poets, and a few poems just begun, not to mention the ongoing friendship of fellow poets from the class.  By the way, I should think that Laurel would publish a collection of her ‘Poems for Teaching Poets.’” - Lincoln Hartfield, New Lisbon, WI

“The information that you presented was very accessible, motivational. I feel that I have grown & understood at least a few things in very exciting ways! You should know I love ‘Date with Beethoven’! Thank you for sharing it.” - Jennifer Wood, Belleville, WI

“I took many notes in the first 15 minutes alone! I loved this, the get-down-to business. Like a fine poem, Laurel didn't waste a moment….I’m looking over my notes now. I’m amazed again, at how rich the time was. Each Laurel-ism I jotted down makes me long to go back, to a longer program: ‘Throw out clichés! You’re not getting the greasy coin in the mouth of the 17th century’…’You want your poem to feed on fire but don’t want the reader to get ashes’ ‘Really good poems should hurt a little.’” - Rhonda Telfer, Western Springs, IL

“I loved it exactly the way it was. Critiquing & a analyzing—the give & take of members & Laurel’s insight. I liked both member poems & handout poems. I’m learning critiquing doesn’t have to hurt.” - Susan C. Tollefson, Lancaster, WI

“The handout with tips & the examples was great. I felt like I really learned about the construction of a poem rather than just content. Excellent to critique our own poems, although it shows how far I have to go…the discussion & the different levels of poetry awareness/writing was wonderful.”  - Hannah Pinkerton, Madison, WI

“Chance to share and critique each other’s work is so helpful and energizing. Laurel’s approach is respectful, constructive and enthusiastic. Thanks, Laurel for your positivity—and openness. I appreciate, too, that the session wasn’t a repeat of last years’. I’m sure each group has its own unique vibe. However, Laurel definitely brings so much—overflowing/brimming with profuse energy and ideas.” - Pat Gott, Stevens Point, WI

How to register:

By phone: Call 608-262-7942.

By mail: Print and mail the UW Continuing Studies registration form.

By fax: Print and fax the UW Continuing Studies registration form.

Online: Secure online registration is available for this program.