POETRY WRITING SESSION USING QUILTS

Begin with "Ars Poetica" by Archibald McLeish. Explain that McLeish does what a quilter does - takes individual pieces and "sews" them together around a theme. Then he dresses them up with verbal "pictures", color, figures of speech, etc. Finally, he adds borders: "A poem should be". "A poem should not mean . . . but be".

Have each participant go through each of these steps. Give plenty of time, but keep the group together. Give examples if anyone is "blocked".

1. QUILT BLOCKS -- Begin with 10 to 12 pieces of memory, or pieces of treasured things, or pieces of a season like spring. No sentences - just simple noun phrases or verbal phrases
   
2. APPLIQUE - Change non-specific nouns and verbs to specific nouns and verbs. "Bluebird: vs. "bird"; "sauntered" vs. "walked". Compare this to the quilter who adds appliqué to make things stand out and be "specific".
   
3. EMBROIDERY - Add adjectives, adverbs, colorful words.
   
4. HAND-STITCHING - Add figures of speech like similes metaphors, and personification. Work towards appealing to the five senses, just as quilts look bright, smell good, feel warm, rustle, etc.
   
5. BORDERS - Add a simple beginning Add a thoughtful ending. Go back and make sure your poem is "tied" together by words that create movement from one thought to another just as McLeish does. Use repetition if that helps, since repetition of pattern or even of identical pieces is a quilter's technique.

Share if desired. ENJOY!!