Cultural Center to offer “Poetry” workshop on March 17

(Thanks to Gordon Simmons for this news release)

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History will continue its Discover Arts and Crafts workshop series with “Poetry,” on Saturday, March 17, from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Cultural Center, State Capitol Complex, Charleston. Doug Van Gundy of Elkins will lead the workshop. There is a $25 fee per person. Participation is limited to 25 students aged 15 to adult, and reservations are required.

The workshop is open to writers of all levels, and will focus on accessing creativity, working through writer’s block, and listening for the music of language. The workshop is tailored to writers of poetry; however, the skills and techniques presented are useful to creative writers of all disciplines. The morning session will concentrate on getting through the first draft, and the afternoon session will deal with editing, revision and form.

Van Gundy holds a master of fine arts degree from Goddard College and has been leading poetry workshops for more than 10 years. He is an adjunct professor of English at Fairmont State University and Davis & Elkins College. His poems have appeared in numerous regional magazines and several anthologies, including Wild Sweet Notes: 50 Years of West Virginia Poetry. Van Gundy’s first book of poems, A Life Above Water, will be published this spring by Red Hen Press.

For more information about the poetry workshop or to make a reservation, contact Bethany Cline, cultural program specialist for the Division, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 171.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the state capitol complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.