My first session on Sunday was “The Poem vs. The Page: Where Content and Form Collide” with MaKenzie Copp. We began by sharing a bit about our writing practice and other hobbies. I heard classmates across the room from one another repeatedly say: “How cool!” or “Me, too!” in response. After time spent reading beautifully formatted poems and considering how their unique shape corresponded with their content, we wrote our own visual poems. We closed the class with a few share outs, and again, voices chimed in with compliments and praise, including sincere appreciation for a space to write like this.
Midday, in my class titled “‘Lost’ In Translation,” I began by asking everyone their relationship to Sarah Lawrence College or the Writing Institute. The answers ran the whole gamut: SLC MFA alumni, current student, and prospective student; as well as new and frequent WI students. I’m so glad this weekend serves as a gathering place for all these relationships. I then asked students about their experience with foreign languages and translation, and again the answers ran the gamut from bilingual in French, to self-taught Japanese, to just a little bit of high-school Spanish a long time ago. Regardless of the answer, we each attempted to translate a poem into English, and it was gratifying to hear everyone discuss their translation with their neighbor at the end of class.
I also sat in on Janine Annett’s class “Funny business: How to liven up your nonfiction writing with humor,” where we learned how to write a humor piece from initial idea to final touches. I don't consider myself a humor writer, but it was a good reminder that there’s room for a touch more humor in all forms of writing! And similarly, that there are many ways of approaching humor writing. Janine will be back on campus to teach her class Beginner Humor Writing starting next week, so if you’re interested in learning more, register here!
Lastly, the day closed with a meaningful full circle moment. Daria Lavelle MFA ‘22, author of Aftertaste, gave our closing keynote. From the podium in Heimbold Auditorium, she reflected on the last time she had stood on that stage: to read her graduating thesis project, which then turned into her debut novel! Daria even showed a photo of herself in her cap and gown receiving her MFA just a few years prior. What a special moment to witness, and a wonderful journey for her book to take.
Before we left, I chatted with two of the students who had been in that first poetry session with me, asking if they’d met here or signed up as friends. The answer: “We met yesterday in a session on Zoom!” It turns out they had been in a Craft Weekend class together the day prior, and as luck would have it, ended up in a session together Sunday morning as well. And from there, had spent the day together. It’s so gratifying to see new Writing Institute community members connecting over writing and coming together like this.
I was so pleased to see all the different connections - to friends new and old, to the MFA and the WI, to the words on the page - being made throughout the weekend. As Chloe Caldwell said in her Saturday Keynote, forming a literary community is key. Thank you to all our instructors and our partners at the MFA Writing Program for collaborating with us and forming this community.
- Cléo Charpantier,
Writing Institute Graduate Assistant
