Are you a poet wanting to stretch your voice and imagination, or a fiction writer with a hankering for the concision and focus of poetry? Is there an ancestor or historical figure who fascinates you? Is there a fictional character who hasn’t been given a fair shake? The persona poem is a terrific tool for all of this, and so much more. Sometimes called a dramatic monologue, or a voice poem, these poems allow us to write from the perspective of a person other than ourselves, and in so doing, speak truths that we may not otherwise access. We will read and discuss a variety of persona poems, and write our own, with lots of opportunities for encouragement and feedback.
• In-Class Writing Lift: Medium
• Homework: Required
• Workshopping Drafts: Optional
Pauletta Hansel’s books include Will There Also Be Singing? (Shadelandhouse Modern Press), poems of witness and protest; Heartbreak Tree (Madville Publications) which won the Poetry Society of Virginia’s North American Book Award; and Palindrome (Dos Madres Press) winner of the 2017 Weatherford Award for Appalachian Poetry. Understory: A Women’s History of Appalachia is forthcoming from University Press of Kentucky. She was Cincinnati’s first Poet Laureate and 2022 Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Writer-in-Residence.
"Pauletta is both a master storyteller and a terrific teacher!"
"Pauletta was a wonderful instructor. She opened up the genre of memoir, and I’d love to take another class with her!"
"Pauletta's extensive knowledge of the subject and her gentle, sincere, and positive guidance was truly a life-changing experience. She made sure everyone was welcome and got to speak. She encouraged questions. She's such a skilled and caring teacher."
