Imagery, Imagination and Poems that Build to a Series
On December 17th, 2018 Dr. Judy Belsky – poet extrordinaire and an amazing teacher of poetry writing – presented a half-day workshop on the theme “Imagery, Imagination and Poems that Build to a Series,” held at the charming Poetry Place (9 HaMa’aravim St.) in Jerusalem. It centered on creating a series of overlapping, inter-related poems that revisit a theme or setting and build to a whole; focusing on poems that weave between the rich terrain of childhood and the present, with an emphasis on fresh and powerful imagery.
The workshop was a great success, with 30 people attending. They included a natural hardcore of Jerusalemites, plus members of Jerusalem coordinator Ruth Fogelman’s Pri Hadash group. Voices members travelled from Haifa, Nazareth, Efrat, Netanya, Bet Shemesh and Ashkelon. As always, Dr. Judy Belsky provided insightful and helpful feedback to participants reading their drafts.
Our thanks to Ruth for undertaking key tasks in the day’s organization, and to our secretary Linda Suchy for her very capable handling of the registrations.
The participants were invited to submit poems written during the workshop, or edited versions of them, for publication in the workshop chapbook. Nineteen poets took advantage of this opportunity. A PDF version of the chapbook, entitled “Mosaics of Memories,” beautifully designed by Johnmichael Simon, was produced and sent to participants. A few copies are still available for sale at a nominal price (20 NIS + 5 NIS postage): to buy one, email our President.
Regretfully we have no photos of the actual event, but the following from Poetry Place’s website may give an indication of the atmosphere:
Voices Israel Group of Poets in English 