April: National Poetry Month Poem #1 (sample)

Hello all-

Happy National Poetry Month! It's such a full and exciting time & I feel ready for all things Spring & such. Hemisphere will officially launch on April 15th, but you can pre-order the book now!

In the meantime, I am trying to get new poems and new writing out in the world. I am planning to write 30 poems in 30 days & will post some snippets here for you to check them out. 

I will also be posting about events & readings & hope to keep a poetic conversation going. 

Poem #1 (sample)

Ways Barbie & My Daughters are Different

First, they don’t smile all the goddamn time, prim & on purpose

their pouts aren’t raspberry filling or apple crumbled, quaint

quixotic/exotic/erotic/elastic/syrup/bubbled gum

jammed & honeyed wined—their teeth aren’t solar eclipses

rows of picket fences where blond ponytails ride hides of horses

their own horse hair wailing in wind—my daughters' teeth know

how to slice things & rip/tear/shard to threads—not tamed

or braced to perfection. Their teeth are renegades, roosters’

cocked walks—their mouths know when to say no & hell

yes, not grin & smirk & bare it—the brunt & groan.  Some

times smiles are dangerous, don’t tempt me.  

That’s one. 

Knead from #Hemisphere

Reading Knead from #Hemisphere. Photographed by DFlo in Brooklyn. Winter 2015.

Alice Hoffman Writers Retreat @ Adelphi University

The annual Alice Hoffman Writers Retreat is always my one of my favorite teaching residencies—a chance to work with intergenerational educators and students to make poems, try new performance techniques, and showcase our work at a live open mic.  

We have worked with artist David Flores for the past several years to create videos combining our writing and performance in a rich, new media format.

These student videos are brilliant. Check them out below!

Poetry & Nature @ Adelphi University

Teaching the Poetry & Nature course at Adelphi University was one of the most exciting experiences of my teaching life—I loved getting the chance to explore writing through the lens of nature.  Loved the chance to change perspectives and learn from students who are studying Science, Chemistry, Biology—how those subjects unearth new ideas and new chances for experimentation.  

Hemisphere is a collection that uses the body and landscape as means for dialogue and exploration. I used this teaching residency to do the same.  Check out some of the videos that showcase our work.

Hemisphere Writing Workshop @ The Girl Project

The mission of the The Girl Project is to examine the internal and external pressures of body image that teenage girls struggle with day to day. Today we examined beauty by comparing the body to the landscape of Kentucky. Students performed their work in small groups before taking the stage before an audience of multigenerational women from the Lexington, KY area. Our group shared with the young women of Be Bold and lead small writing workshops based on the writing we created. I was so impressed with the commitment and creativity of this group, and look so forward to writing with them again.

visit me, Ellen Hagan. →

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