Sat 22 Jul, 10am
In this workshop led by John Kinsella, learn the ancient form of the eclogue, an ecologically focused poem that sets up competing viewpoints or voices.
The eclogue is a venerable form of poetry that serves as one of the cornerstones of 'the pastoral'. In this workshop, we explore writing modern 'anti-pastoral' eclogues that create dynamics between contesting parties.
The voices in the poems might be, for example, an environmentalist and an industrialist, a walker and a property owner, an official and a climate protester... whatever you decide. A variety of approaches, from the 'lyrical' to the 'experimental', will be considered, and hybrids of both are welcome.
Kinsella uses examples from his latest collection, The Pastoraclasm (Salt, 2023), a book that includes an array of eclogues written in diverse ways.
John Kinsella's recent books of poetry include Insomnia (Picador, 2019), Brimstone: A Book of Villanelles (Arc, 2020) and the verse novel Cellnight (Transit Lounge, 2023). His new collection, The Pastoraclasm (Salt), was published in the UK in March 2023. He is Emeritus Professor of Literature and Environment at Curtin University and a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge.