Poetry Workshop with Mark Doty

Being Ourselves on the Page

A deep paradox in American poetry lies in the fact that while LGBTQ+ individuals are generally thought of as outsiders, a glance at a list of major American poets — Whitman, Dickinson, Crane, Bishop, O’Hara, Swenson, Rich, Ashbery, and many more — reveals that we’re an extraordinary mainstream. This tension is actually fruitful. In this group, led by groundbreaking LGBTQ+ poet Mark Doty, we’ll talk about the challenges and opportunities presented by being ourselves on the page, and try a short writing exercise or two.