Writing & Poetry Workshops
We run writing workshops throughout the year, for a few delightful years now, for people who want to develop their voice and practice prose and poetry writing. At the Midwest Buddhist Temple, on certain Saturdays, editor Alex Yu administers, and Eduardo Cruz Eusebio teaches the fiction and non-fiction writing sessions, where he makes writers sit for 3 hours at a time, focusing intently, as he murmurs things like, “See your sight of the object and give it again…say that again…and make sure she’s getting it.” And somehow, they keep coming back.
We’ll publish writing created in those workshops here. Some fiction, some poetry, some non-fiction. Perhaps some other.
Stay tuned in this space for announcement of our next sessions, or contact workshop administrator, Alex Yu for information at:
creative.writing@mbtchicago.org
Writing from the MBT Creative Writing Workshop:
- Our Time is a short story by riksha.com editor and workshop writer, Chris Ike.
- Uncle Howard and Aunt Lolly are pieces by workshop writer, Lorraine Schmall, who writes about her family. A thick slice of hilarious and jaw-dropping Chicago Americana. A family that might be the most interesting in America.
Poems from the MBT Poetry Writing Workshop
On Saturday, November 4, 2017, Editor of Packingtown Review, poet, writer, and teacher Snezana Zabic graciously led our Poetry Writing Workshop, where she taught us about the Cento form.
“From the Latin word for “patchwork,” the cento (or collage poem) is a poetic form made up of lines from poems by other poets. Though poets often borrow lines from other writers and mix them in with their own, a true cento is composed entirely of lines from other sources. ” — Poets.org
We had a lot of fun creating new poems from our favorite poems, as well as cultural references. Here are a few from the workshop:
- Cento (untitled) by Cindy Engvall
- Cento by Eduardo Cruz Eusebio