For many centuries, writing poems has served as a way forward through grief. In this craft lab, our focus will be on the transformation of loss into language. With the help of Edward Hirsch’s 100 Poems to Break Your Heart, we’ll study and discuss examples of celebrated poems that tackle these difficult topics and explore where emotional rending and artful language meet. We’ll honor each person’s story. There will be many writing prompts and exercises to take away from the lab. We’ll see what we can do to turn mourning into art.
All participants will have access to a cloud recording of the craft lab for one month afterward.
Craft Lab Details
Edward Hirsch, a MacArthur Fellow, has published ten books of poems, most recently Gabriel: A Poem, which won the National Jewish Book Award, and Stranger by Night. He has also published six prose books about poetry, most newly 100 Poems to Break Your Heart and The Heart of American Poetry. He has received numerous fellowships and awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pablo Neruda Presidential Medal of Honor. He taught at Wayne State University and the University of Houston before becoming the fourth president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. He lives in Brooklyn.