The empty space around a poem, the gaps between verses, the drop at the end of a line. A poem’s unspoken details often hold its mystery and power, leaving space for interpretation. Less can suggest more.

In this workshop led by Anne Ryland, we’ll read poems about silence and poems that hold silence. Through varied writing exercises, we’ll explore silent places and different kinds of silence – chosen or imposed, companionable or strained – and silence held in remembrance. We’ll focus on distilling a poem, allowing it to remain unresolved or unfinished, or perhaps in a way that breaks a long-held silence.