Writing Poetry in and from the Kitchen: Why food is such a good prompt for memoir, as metaphor, as connection to others and various ideas.
An online writing workshop by poet and storyteller Joan Leotta
When: February 8, 2023 (7:00 pm-9:30 pm BST)
Cost: £25
Food is a prompt that calls out for the engagement of all of our senses, is often a cherished, or not so cherished, part of childhood, travel, and other memories. Food as metaphor offers a connection to others and to ideas. Food itself, the prep, the serving, all food’s many facets can serve as an entry point for all genres…poetry, fiction ,creative non fiction, and articles. Joan Leotta especially loves writing food poetry, but she has successfully used it in other genres as well. She has written food columns for newspapers and still writes one for a local magazine in addition to writing food poetry. This workshop will focus on poetry and include a writing exercise.
About Joan:
Joan Leotta plays with words on page and stage. In addition to her ten published books, her varied writings have appeared or are forthcoming, in Ekphrastic Review, Pinesong, Brass Bell, Verse Visual, anti-heroin chic, Silver Birch, Ovunquesiamo, Verse Virtual, Poetry in Plain Sight, and others. She is a 2021 Pushcart nominee and received Best of Micro Fiction in 2021. In early 2022, she was named a runner up in the Frost Foundation Poetry Competition. She has a previous chapbook, Languid Lusciousness with Lemon (Finishing Line Press, 2021). She is a member of the North Carolina Poetry Society, a member and area representative for North Carolina Writers Network and on the stage side of her work, member of, and as the coastal area representative for NC’s Tar Heel Tellers. Joan performs tales featuring food, family, nature, and strong women as a traditional teller and as several costumed characters.