Onsense-nay Oems-pay: Workshop on Nonsense Poems

Many people’s first concern, after they have written a poem, is whether it will make sense to others. But why do we think that “sense” is better than (or even all that different from) “nonsense”? Those in power often fear and try to prohibit expressions of nonsense, perhaps because errant language can reveal a lot about us. Nonsense is a kaleidoscopic mirror––something that reflects, and reconstitutes, all that surrounds it. 

In this workshop, we will each explore our relationships to nonsense. We will write poems that push back against sense-making, or else forge new pathways through it. Writing assignments may include transcribing radio static, writing poems using entirely invented words, or mishearing things on purpose. We’ll read a variety of works, from Jabberwocky to early Soviet-era absurdist poetry. We’ll read Harryette Mullen and Gertrude Stein, listen to Alvin Lucier and Laurie Anderson, and look at visual/language work by Renee Gladman, and Lynda Barry.

Finally, we will each examine our personal histories with nonsense. From schoolyard clapping games to code languages like Pig Latin, we will explore the ways in which, for better or worse, nonsense has altered our relationships to language, power, and one another. We will consider why so many so-called “nonsense” songs reproduce patterns of discrimination and violence. We’ll also explore how nonsense has the capacity to be a liberatory space, allowing people to speak more freely about forces of oppression. 

Instructor

Nora Claire Miller (they/them) is a poet from New York City. Nora's work has appeared or is forthcoming in Bat City Review, Bennington Review, Tagvverk, Hobart, and other places. Their chapbook, LULL (2020) was the winner of the 2019 Ghost Proposal Chapbook contest. Nora earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.