Karrie Waarala, Stonecoast MFA and long-time performance poet.
Special one-night only workshop! Karrie Waarala will offer an early-bird workshop at the Cantab Lounge before Anis Mojgani‘s feature. All comers (yup, even drop-ins) are welcome to swing by.
Mirror, Not Movie Screen: Getting Personal Through Persona
Persona poetry is often painted with the broadest of brushes: the villain makes his case for really being a good guy, the voiceless are granted voices, a fairy tale is retold. Again. However, an often overlooked aspect of persona is the opportunity to use familiar characters or archetypes to reveal more about not just human nature, but the human sitting at the keyboard or holding the pen. We’ll discuss some of the untapped potential of persona, examine poems that reflect more than just the character doing the speaking, and use the mask of persona to strip off the masks in our own writing.
Workshop leader Karrie Waarala holds an MFA from the Stonecoast program at University of Southern Maine and is a teaching artist at The Rooster Moans poetry cooperative. Her work has appeared in journals such as Iron Horse Literary Review, PANK, The Collagist, Arsenic Lobster, and Radius; two national poetry slam anthologies; and on a coffee shop floor in Arizona. A member of the national poetry slam community since 2000, Karrie has recently channeled her performance energy into writing, producing and performing a one-woman show. LONG GONE: A Poetry Sideshow, which is based on Karrie’s full-length collection of circus poems, debuted last year to critical acclaim. She really wishes she could tame tigers and swallow swords. Visit her at www.poetrysideshow.com.
Doors open at 5:30 for attendees, and the workshop runs from 6:00 to 7:00. Cover charge is $5, which includes admission to the evening show. The venue is 18+ (ID required).
Boston Poetry Slam Online