The Soul of the
Poem: Using Voltas, or Turns, to Bring Life to Your Poems
The volta or poetic
turn is a powerful technique that can bring greater dimensionality and tension
to create a more interesting experience for the reader. As the poet Jane
Hirshfield says, “to say one thing [in a poem] is simply not
to say enough.” In this
interactive session, we will examine how poets have created these turns in
their work, and using generative exercises, we will practice using this
technique to awaken our poems.
Luisa Caycedo-Kimura is a Colombian-born writer, translator, educator, and former attorney. Her honors include a John K. Walsh Residency Fellowship at the Anderson Center, an Adrienne Reiner Hochstadt Fellowship at Ragdale, and a Robert Pinsky Global Fellowship. She is an Editor of Connecticut River Review, a board member of the Connecticut Poetry Society, and a member of the Hill-Stead Museum’s Poetry Advisory Committee. A two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, her poems have been published in The Cincinnati Review, Sunken Garden Poetry 1992-2011, RHINO, Diode, Shenandoah, Mid-American Review, and elsewhere.
Upon registering your email for this program, you will receive the Zoom link to join. All participants will start with video off and sound muted. No computer/internet at home? Call the Library for the phone number, meeting ID & password and join us over the phone.