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Reimagining Spiritual Narratives Through Poetry (online seminar series)
June 24 @ 9:30 am - 11:00 am EDT
Instructor: Joanna Currey
$60 Members | $65 Nonmembers
Saturdays 6/24/23 & 7/1/23 | 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET
Every religion comes with foundational stories that shape its character and the culture of its adherents. Sometimes these stories are used to inspire and uplift, and sometimes they are used to manipulate and harm. For centuries, artists have been retelling and reimagining spiritual narratives through painting, song, architecture, and poetry, deepening the lore and dimensionality of their respective traditions.
In this two-part poetry seminar, we will look at examples of poems that wrestle with and imagine their way inside spiritual narratives by reading between the lines, filling in the gaps, or even changing the details. We will discuss the value of such re-imaginings, and the various approaches poets have taken to adding their voice to religious discourse. We will set aside time for prompted in-class writing, and participants will each write and share a new poem that reimagines a spiritual narrative of their choosing. Though my background is in American Christianity and I will be drawing on examples from protestant and Catholic traditions, all spiritual and religious traditions are welcome.
This class is open to all writing levels.
Joanna Currey is from Virginia. She holds an MFA in poetry from Vanderbilt University, and previously earned her BA in English and Poetry Writing from the University of Virginia where she wrote mostly about plants, bodies, family, and religion. Joanna’s writing has appeared in Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry, Nashville Review, Nimrod International Journal, and Alaska Quarterly Review.
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