By Alicia Clavell
Below are a few of our "Exquisite Corpse" creations. In the Exquisite Corpse exercise, one writer begins a poem or story -- I typically pull first lines from poems -- and passes the paper along to another writer who finishes the thought, folds the paper so only their line is showing, and passes the paper to the next person. By the end of the game, you will have a surprising, complete, and often quite silly story or poem.
Also in the Creative Writing Track, we did a lot of prompt writing. We also studied forms including catalog verse/list poems, ekphrastic writing, epistolary writing, and mimic verse. On the last day, we discussed sending off our works, created a bio and cover letter, and held an open mic.
“So much depends upon”*
Human empathy, and lack thereof.
Running toward a wall that doesn’t seem to be there.
Stumbling over obstacles in his mind.
Yet standing as straight as a pole.
Showing no emotion.
He swallowed an egg whole.
The he got sick.
He was so sick that he couldn’t go to his gymnastics lesson!
Since he missed gymnastics, he played Minecraft for an hour.
And after that hour he went outside.
He decided to search for pirate treasure.
So he set out on an incredible journey.
To see the biggest toe in America.
I saw the biggest eye in Alabama.
It seemed to grab me and pull me into it,
And it was then I regretted
Not taking the left at Albuquerque.
*–first lines from The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams
“I love the cows best when they are a few feet away”*
It helps think about how they’ll taste.
Will it be sour? Or sweet?
You will never know.
That is how he never found out my secret.
I kept it hidden for many years.
A giant chocolate bunny.
A crazy dizzy cat.
A stupid, lazy-eyed dizzy cat.
Sipping old, spoiled milk out of a little red bowl.
Breaking lead with a flat arm.
Stories lost to the blur of exhaustion.
*–first line from Gerald Stern’s “Cow Worship”
Title: Self Portrait at 15, 18, and 38
Always be confident.
But don’t be too confident it comes off as cocky.
Don’t be too cocky that it seems to be too confident.
I’ve always had that problem.
Me, too.
Below are a few of our "Exquisite Corpse" creations. In the Exquisite Corpse exercise, one writer begins a poem or story -- I typically pull first lines from poems -- and passes the paper along to another writer who finishes the thought, folds the paper so only their line is showing, and passes the paper to the next person. By the end of the game, you will have a surprising, complete, and often quite silly story or poem.
Also in the Creative Writing Track, we did a lot of prompt writing. We also studied forms including catalog verse/list poems, ekphrastic writing, epistolary writing, and mimic verse. On the last day, we discussed sending off our works, created a bio and cover letter, and held an open mic.
“So much depends upon”*
Human empathy, and lack thereof.
Running toward a wall that doesn’t seem to be there.
Stumbling over obstacles in his mind.
Yet standing as straight as a pole.
Showing no emotion.
He swallowed an egg whole.
The he got sick.
He was so sick that he couldn’t go to his gymnastics lesson!
Since he missed gymnastics, he played Minecraft for an hour.
And after that hour he went outside.
He decided to search for pirate treasure.
So he set out on an incredible journey.
To see the biggest toe in America.
I saw the biggest eye in Alabama.
It seemed to grab me and pull me into it,
And it was then I regretted
Not taking the left at Albuquerque.
*–first lines from The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams
“I love the cows best when they are a few feet away”*
It helps think about how they’ll taste.
Will it be sour? Or sweet?
You will never know.
That is how he never found out my secret.
I kept it hidden for many years.
A giant chocolate bunny.
A crazy dizzy cat.
A stupid, lazy-eyed dizzy cat.
Sipping old, spoiled milk out of a little red bowl.
Breaking lead with a flat arm.
Stories lost to the blur of exhaustion.
*–first line from Gerald Stern’s “Cow Worship”
Title: Self Portrait at 15, 18, and 38
Always be confident.
But don’t be too confident it comes off as cocky.
Don’t be too cocky that it seems to be too confident.
I’ve always had that problem.
Me, too.