Beginnings and Endings – with Don Paterson

In this webinar, Don Paterson looks at the two most exposed points in any poem. How do we start a poem – and how do we end it? He’ll explore how poetic closure can do far more than simply bring a poem to a stop, and instead become a powerful tool for the generation of meaning and the creation of ‘the unforgettable’. He’ll also offer a beginner’s guide to ‘deictic shift theory’: in practical terms, how changes in point of view can be used at key moments of silence or transition for maximum dramatic and expressive effect. How do we write first lines that compel the reader to go on? How do we avoid preamble, throat-clearing and unnecessary scene-setting? How can we make the poem live from its opening statement? This class will address how we can engage the reader immediately – and how we can aim for more than…