Grackle image by artist Jennifer Davis.
Vuong writes, “When done well, [figurative language] creates what I called the “DNA of seeing.” That is, a strong metaphor (Greek for “to carry over”) can enact the autobiography of sight. For example, what does it say about a person who sees the stars in the night sky—as exit wounds? What does it say about their history, their worldview, their relationship to beauty and violence? All this can be garnered in the metaphor itself—without context—when the comparative elements have strong multifaceted bonds. How we see the world reveals who we are. And metaphors explicate that sight.”
In this workshop, my aim is to sharpen our use of the image to better clarify the emotional, political, and practical landscape of our poems. Using poems by Ocean Vuong, Taylor Byas, Patricia Smith, Louise Glück, Aimé Césaire, Ariana Benson and many more, we will explore how metaphor can communicate more intimately our worldview, our wonder, and our understanding of the self.
What motifs, images, and objects show up often in your work? What words can’t you shake from your poems? Here, we will challenge ourselves to push past what’s familiar and lean towards what is precise. We will learn to play with our poetic voices, and take stock of what is embedded in our own sight’s DNA. This workshop will offer exercises for both generative writing and revision.
Aris Kian is a Houston enthusiast and student of abolition. Her poems are published with Button Poetry, West Branch, Obsidian Lit, The West Review, Write About Now and elsewhere. As an Inprint C. Glenn Cambor Fellow, she received her MFA from the University of Houston and received the 2022 Inprint Marion Barthelme Prize in Creative Writing. Recently, she ranked #1 in the 2024 Southern Fried Poetry Slam with the team Smoke Slam coached by Ebony Stewart, ranked #2 in the 2023 Womxn of the World Poetry Slam. She was appointed, and currently serves, as the 2023-2025 Houston Poet Laureate, and is a part of the 2023 BANF Cohort and 2023 Creative Catalyst Fellow with Sonny Mehta.