Cinquain Workshop

[Jim Wilson]

Good Morning:

2015 is the 100th anniversary of a form of poetry know as the Cinquain. It was created by Adelaide Crapsey in the early 20th century. It first appeared in print in 1915 when a small volume of her poetry was posthumously pubished. The volume contained about 20 Cinqauin along with other poems. Soon after this introduction of the form other poets adopted it. Over the century since it was introduced a significant number of poets have found the Cinquain attractive.

The form has five lines, with each line having a specific syllable count: 2-4-6-8-2, for a total of 22 syllables. The attraction to this form is, I think, its simplicity, and the way it fits the English language. The even numbered lines lend themselves to a kind of meter that is natural to English. Crapsey was influenced by Japanese haiku and tanka, which she studied in translation (probably in the French). But the Cinquain has its own unique field of expressiveness.

In celebration of this 100th anniversary I will be hosting a 2-session workshop on the Cinquain. The first session will be an Introduction to the form and cover its basic shape, history, and examples of how various poets have used it. The second session we will return and discuss Cinquain we have written, or examples we have found that we want to share. Both sessions will be hosted by Jim Wilson, that's me. I have written Cinquain for many years, along with other syllabic forms and enjoy the sparkling quality that the Cinqauin can impart.

The workshop is open to experienced poets and complete newcomers.

Dates: February 2nd and February 9th
Time: 7:00 PM to about 8:30 PM
Place: Many Rivers Books & Tea, 130 S. Main Street, Sebastopol
Cost: By donation
Questions: Contact Many Rivers at 829-8871
Or contact Jim at [email protected]