Learn to write poetry that exposes the universal realities of being human with specificity.

When writing poetry, the question often arises in the aspiring poet of 'Is it good?'. This workshop aims to replace that question with 'Who cares, is it true?'.

Telling the truth is a practiced art in poetry and memoir writing - it comes with its risks and vulnerabilities, but it is infinitely more interesting than any piece of work written solely to be impressive.

In this workshop, we will explore how to practice the art of listening to poems when they come to visit (even when they are uncomfortable), using the smallness of our experiences to discuss bigger things, and how to capture an elusive moment as accurately as possible, to create art that is technically excellent, beautiful in simplicity, and (most importantly) honest.

Learning outcomes

In this workshop, you will learn:

How to listen to a poem when it comes to visit
How to be honest with yourself, with the page, and then the reader
Finding your different voices and versions of 'truth' in both written and spoken word poetry
How to use the smallness of your world and experience to explore much larger themes

Format

This is an in-person workshop with a focus on writing craft; it will be held at State Library of Queensland. This workshop is suitable for poetry writers of all levels and writing backgrounds.

About Anna

Anna McGahan (she/they) is a writer and performer from Meanjin/Brisbane. She is the author of Immaculate (The Australian/Vogel's Award 2023), Metanoia (2019) and the poetry book Skin (2020). Anna has had poetry and essays published in The Griffith Review, The Guardian, and more. She is an award-winning spoken word poet, and professional actor and screenwriter.

For more information about Queensland Writers Centre’s Program of Events and answers to FAQs, please visit: www.queenslandwriters.org.au/program-info