Settle into an immersive poetry writing experience with a small group, and make creative writing part of your weekly routine. No previous experience with poetry writing is necessary to participate.
Metaphor and Renewal
6-week poetry writing series
“Metaphors are essential to our understanding of our world, and can be used as a mechanism for creating new meaning in our lives… ”
–– George Lakoff and Mark Johnson ‘Metaphors We Live By’
Metaphors are everywhere. We may speak about time getting lost, stolen, saved (‘time is a limited resource’). In our lives, we may tell our friends that we’re going through a rocky patch, feeling a little lost, unsure of the right path (‘life is a journey’).
Metaphors teach us how to move through our lives and engage with difficult emotions. Without them, we would be disoriented. But if the ‘metaphors you live by’ aren’t working for you… your creativity can get involved. That’s what this series is all about.
Practice writing new imaginative metaphors for life, longing, fear, time, and confidence… and then turn your reflections into poetry.
Register For Class
NEXT SERIES: Mondays, October 30th – December 4th 2023
Time: 1-3pm PST
(convert to time zone)
Cost: $250 CAD
Where: Online, over Zoom
Number of participants: 6
“Christine is an amazing teacher. The topics in the Metaphor workshop resonated with me and lead me to write the work that I actually liked. While reciting my poems in front of the group, I felt appreciated and supported. 100% recommend to attend any workshops from Christine. You will not regret it.”
– Garima (read more testimonials)
Workshop Schedule
Every week, we’ll begin with a spirited conversation related to that week’s theme. I’ll provide some initial reflection questions to get us started and then your curiosity will guide where we go. You’ll share your experiences and ideas, listen to those of others, and together we’ll till the ground… preparing you with lots of inspiration to enliven your writing practice.
In the second half of class, you’ll participate in a 3 part writing practice that includes breath, guided freewriting, and 15 minutes of silence to write a poem that includes an original metaphor you found in class. You can think of the poetry you write during each session as a time capsule — capturing your experience now, to be returned to later whenever it’s needed.
We always end with an opportunity to share what you’ve written with the group (although this is not mandatory) , and to witness the creative reflections of others.
Here are our weekly themes:
Week 1: Life
“I observed everything. I did not participate… I was outside, looking in.” – Marion Woodman, from ‘Bone: Dying into Life’
Take stock of where you are and explore how you’ve moved through the changing landscape of your life, and then… write a poem.
In this session, we’ll be writing new metaphors for life.
Week 2: Longing
“Longing, we say, because desire is full of endless distances.” – Robert Hass, Meditation at Lagunitas.
What endless distances do you look upon with longing? Explore and reimagine your relationship to those destinations that feel beyond your grasp or ability, and then… write a poem.
In this session, we’ll be writing new metaphors for longing.
Week 3: Fear and Anxiety
“Fear and joy come from our centre.” – Claude Kipnis, from ‘The Mime Book’
When fear arrives, what happens next? Consider your relationship to the sensations, thoughts, and imagery which accompany fear’s arrival and departure, and then… write a poem.
In this session, we’ll be writing new metaphors for fear and anxiety that centre the experience of the body.
Week 4: Time
“Each movement is an ocean / whose currents mingle. / Day is a moment held with countless others / in a world obsessed with time” – Robin Skelton, from On Waking
Do you treat time as a limited resource? As something lost, stolen, earned, wasted? Reflect on your relationship to time, and then… write a poem.
In this session, we’ll be writing new metaphors for time that feel nourishing and supportive.
Week 5: Trust
“How is it you trust such a mystery?” – Sarah, a participant from a previous workshop
What is your relationship to trust? Does it come easy, or do you find yourself bracing for the impact of every jump… or perhaps avoiding the risk of a fall altogether.
In this session, we’ll be writing new metaphors for trust that dialogue with the vertigo of uncertainty.
Week 6: Confidence
“Poets, I think, are simply magicians without quick wrists.” – Gwendolyn MacEwan, from ‘Julian the Magician’
When your body and imagination finally demand the nourishment of your self-belief, how do you give yourself what you need? Reflect on your experience and then… write a poem to return to whenever it’s needed.
In this final session, we’ll be writing new metaphors for confidence that are both embodied and imaginative.
All classes are facilitated by Christine Bissonnette. Learn more about Christine.