The Massachusetts Poetry Festival 2017

Sometimes a poem calls for a different voice—one that’s not your own. Writing using a persona frees you to write about difficult subjects or experiences, helps a poet avoid sentimentality or self-indulgence. Persona releases you from the constraints of time and space—you can speak as a Civil War nurse, a Neanderthal, or Queen Nefertiti. You can be a space alien or your goldfish. A persona can give you an immediate authority with being preachy. Or it can just be fun. How does a poet create an authentic voice, true in tone, diction, knowledge? In this workshop we will examine personae and how poets successfully create them. We will look at the work of a small, diverse group of poets. Then we will put on the mask, write a persona poem of our own. For whom will you speak? How will you answer the call of your poem?