Marianne Chan – From a Distance: On Assembling Your Poetry Manuscript (January 2025)

Poets often take a microscopic approach to their individual poems, tinkering with word choice, line breaks, and sound; assembling a poetry manuscript requires a more expansive view. In her article in Poets & Writers, April Ossman writes that “[ordering] requires seeing each poem from a distance, so that all its sides are visible.” In this lecture, we will explore various strategies for assembling a book of poetry, drawing on works and insights from poets, such as Diane Seuss, Oliver de la Paz, Victoria Chang, and others.