Spontaneous Poetry Writing is an online workshop happening with Workman Arts and UrbanArts part of Live Your Art Programming. Registration will be open until December 5, 2022, at which point accepted registrants will be contacted. 

Date: Tuesday, December 6th 

Time: 7:00 - 9:00pm EST

Location: Online (via Zoom)

Who is this course for:  Everyone! Priority will go to York/Weston residents; and those with lived experience of mental illness and/or addictions.

Instructor: Cathy Thorne

With a background in improvisational theatre, creative writing and visual arts, Cathy Thorne writes on-the-spot personalized poems at events, creating thoughtful keepsakes for guests to take home.

To encourage people to embrace their inner poet, she has developed a spontaneous poetry writing workshop. With no experience necessary, attendees learn how to clarify and organize their thoughts quickly and creatively through a series of short, fun exercises, ultimately resulting in each person creating a poem that has special meaning to them.

She is currently working on a chapbook of poetry entitled Shift.

Class Description:

In this workshop, you will learn to create spontaneous, personalized poems using tips and tricks that will help you organize and articulate your thoughts clearly. 

The method I use is simply intuitive, and will help you embrace your inner poet while putting aside your inner critic. You can apply this not only to poetry writing, but also to other projects and your personal communications.

By the end of the workshop, you will have your own completed poem, plus the skills to write poems independently. We will conclude the workshop with an optional open mike. This is entirely optional for folks who like to share their words.

Your poems can be heartfelt, emotional and empowering, or fun and cheeky. It’s up to you! And the best part? Absolutely no poetry experience is necessary.