Registration: PenningtonLibrary.org/PoetryWorkshop
Join us for an online program that offers an insider’s look at the poetic process. We will closely examine several poems, including those by the presenter, to explore the genesis of a poem—from the simple source of inspiration that sparked the idea to the final draft. We’ll then analyze how structure, rhythm, and diction determine a poem’s effectiveness. Understanding why certain craft choices were made will reveal precisely how they strengthen the poem’s topic.
This program is both deeply insightful for aspiring writers and highly entertaining for general audiences seeking a new appreciation for poetry.
About t
he Presenter: Patricia Smith, author of The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems (the 2025 National Book Award for poetry winner), is a highly decorated poet. A recipient of the Ruth Lilly Prize for Lifetime Achievement, her work has been published in Poetry, The Paris Review, The 1619 Project, and Best American Poetry. She has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Aiken Taylor Award, and an NEA grant. Smith is also the most successful poet in National Poetry Slam history, winning the competition four times. She serves as a professor at Princeton University, a chancellor in the Academy of American Poets, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.