Stepping Outside the I: Using Persona to Unlock Voice

In this craft talk and generative workshop, we will consider the possibilities of writing in persona. What happens to our poetic voice when we step outside of the “I,” when we imagine the speaker radically? When we are someone other than ourselves, or perhaps, not even human? When we speak as the poppy in the garden, a local cyprid, or the American Girl Dolls during a HR mandated diversity meeting?

In this course, we will use selections from craft essays by Sonya Huber and Michael Frazier and read poems by Louise Glück, Natasha Rao, Robert Wood Lynn, and others. After discussing these examples, we will engage with generative prompts to draft new persona poems of our own with the option to share work and discuss our process at the end of class.

What does persona unlock for our poetics? How might persona allow us to write poems we would otherwise avoid, or to speak towards truth in ways not possible within the traditional “I?” We will also consider the ethics of writing in persona—navigating identity, narrative, and voice with tact and respect—as we write towards radical and new voices, as we use persona to, as Michael Fraizer writes, “view the world with new eyes.”

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Details: Stepping Outside the I: Using Persona to Unlock Voice with Connor Beeman takes place Thursday, November 5th from 6:30-8:30 PM remotely online via Zoom.

‍Genre: Poetry

‍Level: All levels

‍Format: One session craft talk

‍Location: This class takes place remotely online via Zoom.

‍Size: Limited to 25 participants (including two scholarship recipients).Scholarships: Two scholarship spots are available for this class for writers in Northeast Ohio. Apply by Sunday, August 23rd. Click here to apply.

‍Cancellations & Refunds: Cancel at least 48 hours in advance of the first class meeting to receive a full refund. Email programs@litcleveland.org.