Sharing Poems...

Twenty-six poets were willing to share poems written at workshops Nina Serrano and Diane Wang hosted for three years at La Peña. Click on the names of poets below or select from the box to the right to read their poems

Nina and Diane can no longer do the workshop in person. However, we are posting some writing exercises on this page each month or so in hopes friends will send us poems. If you write a poem based on one of these exercises and would like to post it here, please send it to diane@think-ink.net

Now that it is warm again :

Nina suggests:

Open the window
Look at the season/(landscape or cityscape: people/plants/animals).
Smell the air.
Feel the air/temperature & wind.
Close the window.
Close your eyes.
Recall a pleasant memory
Who was there & how did they look then?
What was the weather & the time of day when the memory begins?
What were the sequence of events that unfolded to leave this a pleasant memory?
Open your eyes and write a poem for five to twenty minutes without stopping.

Read your poem aloud. Rewrite as needed. Do not discard or abandon your poem-Good or bad is fine -just take these moments to keep on writing poetry. Read rewrite aloud. Save poem to work on another day and/or read to someone else

If you would like to share poems you write in response to these suggestions, please send them to diane@think-ink.net