Pulitzer Prize nominated poet Sue Ellen Thompson will teach a one-day workshop in Centreville, Maryland on Saturday, April 11. Focusing on the importance of imagery in poetry, simile or metaphor, Thompson will guide students in the art of making their poems memorable. Participants will examine some of the more challenging and unusual metaphors that contemporary poets have used to bring their poems to life, and lead discussions on how to choose between simile and metaphor, how to control and extend an image, and how to avoid making comparisons that are sentimental and clichéd. There will be a writing exercise designed to challenge image-making powers and also time allowed to examine the effectiveness of the similes and metaphors in the poems that participants bring to class. Students 15 years and older will benefit from this unique and productive workshop held from 9 am to 12 pm. The class cost is $100 ($85 for Arts Council and Eastern Shore Writers Association). The deadline for registration is April 3.
In addition to her Pulitzer nomination, her work has been read on National Public Radio by Garrison Keillor and she has been featured in U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser’s nationally syndicated newspaper column. She recently edited The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry and has published four volumes of poetry and essays. A graduate of Middlebury College, Vermont (B.A.) and the Bread Loaf School of English (M.A.), she is an accomplished writer and instructor.
The Centre for the Arts classes are designed to renew existing interests, and to develop new skills. Registration materials are available at 206 South Commerce St. in Centreville, Tuesday – Friday from 9 am to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm, or by calling 410.758.2520, online at www.arts4u.info or request via email at exhibit@arts4u.info. The Centre is supported in part by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.
The Queen Anne’s County Arts Council is a non-profit organization committed to
promoting, expanding, and sustaining the arts.