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Iowa Poetry Association hosts 2009 Fall Workshop
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Photo: S. Humphries
October 31, dawned clear and bright, a perfect Halloween day. But for the members of the Iowa Poetry Association (IPA), October 31 included more than just candy and costumes. It was an opportunity to have their work read and critiqued in the group’s Fall Poetry Workshop.
Hosted at the Wesley United Methodist Church in Des Moines, this biannual event began with registration at 8:30 am as attendees received name-tags and copies of the poems to be critiqued that day. Coffee, juice, and pastries were available through the church kitchen and, as some members took the opportunity to catch up, others found seats at the long folding tables to review the handouts. The atmosphere was casual and welcoming. As one of the critics for the event, poet Jim Coppoc, put it, ‘No one is here because they have to be. These are real people, writing real poetry.’
For over sixty years the Iowa Poetry Association has been a source of inspiration and community for Iowa poets. A non-profit organization, its goal is simple: “to promote interest in and appreciation for better poetry for Iowans.” Their membership requirements are even simpler: members must have an Iowa address. Pretty basic. Yet the IPA has built upon this simple foundation to create an organization that supports, informs, and honors its members. Part of that support includes the group’s biannual workshops. Held every April and October, the workshops provide an opportunity for members to have their poetry critiqued by well-known poets as well as their peers, a procedure aimed at reinforcing the IPA’s goal of ‘better poetry.’ It is an ideal that first-time attendee Veronica Walker strives for: ‘I’m here because I want to learn more about poetry, I want to become better at my craft.'
Prior to the meeting, members interested in receiving feedback on their work anonymously submit poems of no more than 20 lines for review; a method that allows the group to focus on the poem rather than the author. These poems are then sent to the workshop’s chosen critics for early review. For the 2009 Fall Workshop, the IPA brought in poets Jim Coppoc and Heather Derr-Smith to provide critiques.
By 9:00 am, registration was closed and the IPA Fall Workshop was underway with over 30 poets, a mixture of long-time members and first-time attendees, filling the seats. The critics were generous with their opinions and recommendations, focusing on the use of concrete language, central imagery, continuity, connection, clarity, and constraint. The focus and respect for the work gave the event an almost classroom feel as participants took copious notes and made their own comments on the poems.
The workshop would continue throughout the day, including lunch and a brief business meeting before returning to the critiques. Yet it was a single comment made during my time with the group that seemed to best sum up not only the intentions of the day-long workshop, but the ultimate goal of every poet: “Make the language invisible, make it fall away.”
Watch for upcoming articles on the Iowa Poetry Association’s annual anthology, Lyrical Iowa, and for an interview with IPA First Vice President, Dennis Maulsby.
For more info: Visit the Iowa Poetry Association to learn more about the group and to find information on becoming a member. Special thanks to IPA Editor Lucille Morgan Wilson for providing background materials.
Jim Coppoc is a lecturer in English at Iowa State University and an adjunct instructor at Chatham College’s MFA writing program. An award winning teacher, writer, and performer, his first poetry collection, Blood, Sex & Prayer was published in 2005. Jim specializes in performance art and is also an experienced musician, stand-up comic and radio DJ. His most recent book, Reliquary, was published in 2009.
Heather Derr-Smith received her undergraduate degree in Art History from the University of Virginia and her MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop. Heather is currently the Visiting Poet at Iowa State University and also adjunct instructor at Grand View College. Her poetry is international in scope, with settings including Iraq, Cairo, Paris, the West Bank, and various locales throughout the United States. Heather's most recent book, The Bride Minaret, explores the complex realities of living in a global world.
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