A Workshop with Poet, Novelist and Professor Alexandra Teague
Date:  Sunday January 26th
Time:  12-3:30 PM
Location:  CUB, 114 N Third St. McCall
Instructor:  Alexandra Teague

The poet Mary Ruefle says that “metaphor is not idle comparison, but an exchange of energy, an event,” and I would say that all good description is likewise an energy exchange on the page, and between writer and reader. In this workshop, we’ll look at energy exchanges—in terms of sound and image—in great, surprising metaphors and descriptions. Through a series of writing exercises, we’ll explore how seeing more precisely can work alongside imagining more surprisingly. As Tony Hoagland writes, “in every metaphor there is a tension between the forces of gravity and antigravity, between the marriage to realism and the rebellion of fantasy.” This workshop is for beginning and more experienced writers: for anyone who wants to hone their language and consider how to escape the gravity of over-familiar language for more distinctive, energetic poetry or prose.

Alexandra Teague is the award-winning author of four books of poetry–most recently [ominous music intensifying]–a novel, and a memoir: Spinning Tea Cups: A Mythical American Memoir, runner up for the 2024 Idaho Book of the Year award. Her work has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Missouri Review, and the Civitella Ranieri foundation, among others. She is a professor of creative writing, and co-director of the MFA program at University of Idaho.