Films work by juxtaposing uninflected images in a series of cuts. The binding agents of context and narrative take place in the subconscious minds of the audience. The same is true in poetry. Even without dialogue or explanation, we make sense of what a poem means through the juxtaposition of its images, a tension that needs resolve. What happens if we treat a line as a unit of measurement like a shot? A stanza like a scene? Line breaks as cuts? What is the image? Where do we put the camera? What do we cut to next?

Jessica Abughattas will lead Cut to: Cinematographic Techniques in Poetry & Nailing the Image on Sunday, April 11th from 3:00 PM–6:00 PM ET over Zoom! In this three-hour poetry craft class, we’ll consider techniques in filmmaking as we read and craft our own imagistic poems.

This craft class is open to all writers of color. Registration is now open, and scholarships are available. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Thursday, March 25th. See the class page for more information.

To see all of our spring classes, visit kundiman.org/online-classes.