"Certain themes are incurable." Lyn Hejinian

In this session we will explore the use of frequently used subjects in poetry such as flowers, the heart, and characters from mythology. Can there ever be too many poems on a theme? My own work contains many of these incurable themes. One way I explore this is to look at the breadth of poems. A rose poem is not a rose poem is not a rose poem. For me looking at the myriad ways a subject was treated by other poets frees me to write my own. In this generative session we will also talk about our own poetic obsessions and concerns to find a path toward creating new work.

Amy Beth Sisson (she/her) is still struggling to emerge, toad-like, from the mud outside of Philly. Her poetry has appeared in Cleaver Magazine, The Night Heron Barks, Ran Off With the Star Bassoon, Philadelphia Stories and is upcoming in The Shoutflower. She is currently an MFA student studying poetry at Rutgers Camden, a Graduate Assistant for the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice, and an intern for Fence Magazine.