The Joy of Poetry: Discussion Group

   **  Accepting new members  **  

The purpose of this group is to deepen what we notice, what we appreciate, when we read poetry. When Shelley, for example, says “O’ Wild West Wind, Thou Breath of Autumn’s Being” do we perceive his direct address to Autumn’s innermost Self, the wonderful alliteration of the “W’s and the “B’s,” the careful interweaving of the “t’s, the subtle force of the rhythm?

This CALL interest group meets once a month on the second Thursday from 1-2:30 pm by Zoom. We discuss poets from all periods, ancient to the most modern. We focus on meaning, language, images, sounds and all that which makes poetry the delightful, enriching experience it is.

When it is their turn to present, group members are asked to choose a favorite poet, select 6-10 of that poet’s poems and email either a PDF or link to the coordinators who will distribute it to the group. At the group meeting, we generally take turns reading the poems aloud and explore what we perceive. If there are ten of us in the group, we will each facilitate once a year.

Co-Facilitators:

Melvin Pasternak taught poetry at Mount Royal University and has written poetry since he was 18. He holds a Ph.D. in English. In CALL, he also has facilitated CALL to the Cinema, Short Reads: Great Women Writers for the past several years and has served on the CALL Board.

Audrey Habke is a poetry reader and loves how group exploration brings out rich and challenging perspectives on a poem. She taught communications at both U. of C. and MRU and holds a Ph.D. in Education, Applied Linguistics.