Crafting Metaphor through the Art of Noticing

Metaphors can be found in unexpected places: the joke your friend just made, the way a stranger sips their coffee, an interview response, a news story, an overheard conversation. Over the course of four weeks, we will explore metaphors from poets like Jane Wong, Marina Wilson, Sarah Kay, and more. We will train our brains to find poetic images in the world around us. With in-class writing and workshopping time, we will delve into the process of building a metaphor out of those observations. You may just find yourself with a new habit of collecting metaphors every day.

Instructor

Kelsey Bigelow, based in Des Moines, works as a mental health poet. She is the author of five poetry projects, including her book "Far From Broken." Her work is published with several small presses and journals. Kelsey is an Inspiring Women of Iowa honoree, Pushcart Prize nominee, a Button Poetry Video Contest Finalist, and a Central Avenue Poetry Prize finalist. Kelsey has worked with organizations like The Mayo Clinic, NAMI, Planned Parenthood, and more. She has shared the stage with poets like Ross Gay, Jane Wong, Donika Kelly, and more. Videos of her work can be found on Button Poetry, Every Word Poetry, and elsewhere. 

She's the founder of the Des Moines Poetry Workshop, the chair for the Iowa Poetry Association Poetry Slam, a teaching artist in the Des Moines community, the director for the BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam, a member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative, and more.