Common Verses: An Exploration of Poetry Writing – Spring 2021

Too often, poetry gets a reputation as being inaccessible, uptight, or strictly academic. When folks think of this literary genre, they often think of structure and stanza, lineation, and limitation. It can be tedious and intimidating to consider. But poetry stripped down to the bare bones is much more! It is passion on a page. Backwoods activist and barefoot poet Misty Skaggs will smash any preconceptions of the form to bits during the course Common Verses. Together the participants will explore poetry as a tool for expression, across classes and education levels. Basic concepts of the genre will be explored in an approachable way and each student will leave with new work to explore and expand as well as a level of comfort reading and talking about poetry. For all levels.

Misty Skaggs is an author, artist, and activist from the backwoods of Eastern Kentucky. Her work reflects radical redneck sensibilities passed down through Appalachian generations.