Sensory Writing
Materials:
Whiteboard, whiteboard markers, dry erase eraser, copies of the lesson and worksheets for each participant, pictures of local scenery, vocabulary words written on flashcards that convey meaning through pictures and colour translated into participants' first language when possible, baskets of local sensory items, such as: bamboo, bark, beeswax candle, blooms, candlelight, carving, flower, fur, hedgehog, jade, leaf, pinecones, ridges, rock, sage, stone, sweetgrass, turtle, quartz.
Introduction
The instructor welcomes participants. We go around the circle with each person introducing himself or herself. Then, a volunteer reads the opening poem about paying attention to the beauty of nature. The poem is read a few times.
Breathe Deeply Nature’s Inner World
Breathe deeply
moments in the stillness,
what the moss on the maple tells us,
or each angle of sunlight reveals,
and remember
to let the trees and flowers
and colours speak.
There may be discussion about slowing down and relaxing in nice places and observing details. Good writing uses details. We can pretend that parts of nature have a story to tell us and that it’s our job to listen and write it down.
How to Write Poetry: A Resource for Students and Teachers of Creative Writing Description:
How To Write Poetry – A Resource for Students and Teachers of Creative Writing
Have you struggled to write an authentic, inspirational, moving poem? Learn how to write beautiful poems with How To Write Poetry by Cynthia Sharp.
From classic haiku to multi-style poetic license, How To Write Poetry is a beautiful series of lessons on not just how to inspire your poetic heart, but also how to write, confident your poems are correctly structured and full of authentic meaning and story. Cynthia Sharp has been published in numerous literary journals and anthologies on four continents. Her short stories and poetry have been broadcast internationally and nominated for The Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net Anthology. She taught high school for many years before becoming a writing coach and holds honors degrees in creative writing and English.
How To Write Poetry is for both teachers and individuals who yearn to write beautiful, moving, inspirational poems. Starting with an exercise in sensory writing, Cynthia Sharp takes the reader on a journey that allows both the novice and more established poet to grasp the intricacies and subtleties of poetic structure, connecting words with the reader’s emotions and heart.
How To Write Poetry is a compilation of proven and praised workshops and lessons offered to thousands of students of all English language levels and cultural backgrounds. The course material can easily be adjusted for small to large groups, individual instruction, and home use for your own more casual introduction to writing poetry.
Cynthia Sharp states in her introduction, “What I offer you is the art of poetry with a spiritual touch – a guide to inspire your soul into words. We begin with meditative prompts to evoke your inner voice. As the chapters advance, classical terms and linguistics analysis are applied into concrete steps tailored to enhance the literary quality of every poet’s vision.”
