Conversing Across the Chasm Exercise

Class: Beginning Poetry (Tinker Mountain Writers’ Workshop)
Genre: Poetry
Readings: Each others’ poems
Time: 30 minutes

1. Each class member should respond to a poem written by the person seated on their right. They can argue or interrogate an idea, provide an anecdotal narrative that relates to the first person, or work associatively away from the original kernel to access something new. Participants should remember their addressee’s personality, concerns, and
2. The next step has two variations. Students should then write a response to:
   • the response to their own poem so as to create a dialogue between the two poets, or
   • the response written by their original addressee so as to create a chain of communication.
3. Share.