The Fine Line: Finding a Poem’s Small Beginning

The poet has the unique ability of drawing attention to words themselves while revealing an object, a sensation, a moment. Whereas John Gardner wrote about the novelist: “The writer who cares more about words than about story […] gets in his own way too much,” poetry on the other hand blooms around its language. In “The Fine Line,” a poetry workshop led by Fawn Parker, participants will discuss their favourite lines—first lines, last lines, anything in between—and look closely at what is happening, both mechanically and emotionally. Are we drawn to the line that surprises, that reveals, that reminds us of something? Do we like an end that hits like a punchline, a soft close that lingers? The group will spend some time writing a line, or a few, after which we will share and consider what might follow.