In this five-week, generative workshop, we’ll explore nude bodies in poetry. Some artists see the human form itself as a work of art and affirm its beauty, while other artists create uneasy, critical depictions of the body. We’ll examine both approaches and reflect on the human body in the context of our lives, contemporary culture, art and history. Students will practice writing in several modes: the ode, the elegy, the ekphrastic poem and epistolary poem. To ground our work and hone our skills, we’ll read work by Ama Codjoe, Roxane Gay, Hieu Minh Nguyen, Lorraine O’Grady, Sharon Olds, Robert Sapolsky and others. We’ll supplement readings by examining drawings, paintings and sculptures.
We strongly encourage all in-person workshop participants to wear masks. Workshop participants may be required to wear masks as an accessibility accommodation for other participants or the instructor.
Workshop Details
Cindy Tran is the author of the poetry collection Sonnet Crown for NYC (2021), winner of the Thornwillow Patrons’ Prize. A recipient of fellowships from NYSCA/NYFA, the Poetry Project, and the Loft Literary Center, Cindy has presented her work at the Shed, the Lincoln Center and the BBC. Cindy’s poems have been published in Slice, the Margins, Copper Nickel and elsewhere.