Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Poetry Workshop

Aimee Nezhukumatathil Aimee Nezhukumatathil is the author of four books of poetry, most recently, Oceanic (Copper Canyon, 2018). Other books include Lucky Fish, winner of the Hoffer Grand Prize for Prose and Independent Books; At the Drive-In Volcano; and Miracle Fruit. With Ross Gay, she co-authored Lace & Pyrite, a chapbook of letter poems. She is the poetry editor of Orion magazine and her poems have appeared in the Best American Poetry series, American Poetry Review, New England Review, Poetry, Ploughshares, and Tin House. Awards for her writing include an NEA Fellowship in poetry and the Pushcart Prize. She is professor of English in The University of Mississippi’s MFA program where she teaches environmental literature and poetry workshops. World of Wonder, her collection of illustrated nature essays, is forthcoming from Milkweed Editions.


To Wander and Wonder: Writing the Earthscape Electric

Lony Haley-Nelson notes: “Wonder is valuable...because it leads us to learn and remember.” With this quote in mind, this workshop will provide students with rich explorations of the craft of poetry. Using the vocabulary of myth, folklore, science, and natural history as inspiration, this generative workshop will help you jump-start the blank page in front of you. You’ll be introduced to several ideas for poems and journaling (some outdoors, weather permitting) to help you find new ways to revitalize your writing. Our time will be divided into composing drafts; chatting about poems that encapsulate a sense of wonder; and sharing your own poems in a workshop format.