The Advanced Seminar is a unique opportunity for dedicated poets to delve intensely into the poetic process. Seminar participants will have their poems-in-progress given generous and focused attention and will be invited to think in new ways about what can be accomplished in revision.
The Seminar schedule features a daily presentation/discussion exploring aspects of craft and technique (with a close look at the work of some of our poetic parents); an afternoon workshop of participants' poems or individual meeting with faculty; and an evening reading, some by faculty poets, and other readings featuring participants.
Who are the poets, living or dead, that you've chosen as your personal "Poetry Parents" in the past, and what strategies have you borrowed from them?
Who are the poets that you need to play this role for your work today, and
what additional craft tools would support your work?
Again in 2012, the theme of the Advanced Seminar will be "Choosing Our Poetry Parents:" an exploration
of how most poets take other poets for models. If the metaphor of "parent poet" doesn't work for you,
think mentor, teacher, guide, friend, pattern, exemplar. The modern family-of-choice being what it is, we can choose
more than two Poetry Parents, who don't have to be of opposite sexes, and who can even be younger than we are,
contemporary or dead-because of course it is such poets' work that we choose to guide us, and upon which we model
our own work in myriad variations.
If you've attended the Advanced Seminar before, no need to worry that we're going to cover the same material,
because the craft focus and presentations change every year. In 2012 we'll turn our attention to other craft topics and different Poetry Parents, so come on back!
In various ways the Seminar will encourage each participant to examine what parent models s/he has taken, what skills and strengths have been received,
like poetry DNA, from those parents (as well as, perhaps, weaknesses or blind spots),
and finally whether those models are working well for the present or whether new parents need to be chosen to move forward with different work.
Seminar participants will be divided evenly for workshops between the three workshop faculty, and will remain with the same faculty member for all five days. We anticipate that each workshop will have 5-7 people. You'll have the option to say which of the three faculty members you'd like to work with, but we prefer that you trust us to make the match. Presen-tations, discussions, meals and readings will provide many opportunities for you to interact with faculty and guests other than your workshop leader.
The Seminar is a unique opportunity for dedicated poets to delve intensely into the poetic process in a small group setting. Seminar participants will have their poems-in-progress given generous and focused attention and will be invited to think in new ways about what can be accomplished in revision.
Enrollment will be limited to 21 participants. Priority will be given to participants in previous Frost Place programs, including the Conference on Poetry and Teaching, the Festival and Conference on Poetry, or the Advanced Seminar, with a limited number of spaces available for qualified first-time applicants.
Beginning in 2012, for an additional fee of $575, the Advanced Seminar will offer to a limited number of participants the opportunity to discuss a full-length poetry manuscript with Seminar Director Patrick Donnelly. Participants who chose this option will come to the Seminar a day or two early for this purpose. Learn more about full-length manuscript review.
"A whole week of honest and stimulating conversation about poetry…. Both faculty and participants were unfailingly generous, welcoming, friendly. Critique sessions were highly engaging, insightful, and intelligent."
"This is an amazing community of writers. I'm always pleased with the generosity of the faculty and the magic of the readings. I was in a state of creative exhaustion when I arrived here, and I will leave renewed. As always I treasure the people I met here. They keep me fed, creatively, throughout the rest of the year."
"A very affirming experience, which calls me back to the work I have to do once I'm home."
"The Frost Place, by which I mean its community, its teachings, its locations, its nourishing food-and, of course, its poems-allowed me the space, time, and support I needed to fall in love with my work once again. I came away from my Seminar week inspired, comforted, encouraged, and secure in the realization that I am one of a tribe of poets whose dedication to this craft is life-long, because a lifetime is what poetry requires. And we're all in this together." "The lectures were all extremely interesting, informative and smart.""[Frost Place staff] fell over backwards to ensure my happiness. The seminar was organized sincerely around the poetic welfare of the participants. It improved my writing significantly. I met interesting and talented leaders and participants. I enjoyed the company. I had opportunities to express myself. I learned from the visitors. I discovered some of my current limitations and capabilities. I received concrete means to improve my poetry."
Enrollment is limited to 18 participants. Priority will be given to participants in previous Frost Place programs, including the Conference on Poetry and Teaching, the Festival and Conference on Poetry, or The Frost Place Advanced Seminar, with a limited number of spaces available for qualified first-time Frost Place visitors.
P.O. Box 74 , 158 Ridge Road, Franconia, NH 03580
Telephone: (603) 823-5510
Site by John Lehet
