Betrayal (Part One)
with prompts inspired by Jennifer Franklin, Erin Murphy & Alexsandar Hemon
There are certain words I find to be really fascinating—words I come back to again & again. They tend to have expansive, broad, complex meanings. Betrayal is one of these words. What does it mean to betray someone? What compels us to betray one another? What does it mean to betray ourselves? When we feel betrayed or we do the betraying, how does that shape us? How does it shape our writing?
As a pre-cursor to my upcoming, virtual workshop “Be the Stain: Writing Poems Inspired by Diane Seuss, Sharon Olds & Louise Gluck” (on March 28th at Hudson Valley Writers Center) as well as an upcoming workshop on betrayal (to be announced soon, for May 17th!), I will be doing a two-part Substack on poems that explore “betrayal.”
The poems I’ve chosen for inspiration for part one include betrayal of/by country/government, betrayal of self, betrayal of/by family, & the decision not to betray. There are loftier ways you might approach the topic as well—betrayal of an idea, betrayal of one’s desires/dreams, religious betrayal, an institutional betrayal, etc.
Next week’s prompts will revolve around romantic betrayal & betrayal of self.
~Apply for the Writing Workshops Paris Retreat in July where I am on the poetry faculty, or learn more about my upcoming virtual workshops!
~Don’t want to become a paid subscriber, but want to support my scholarship fund for writers or just buy me a coffee?
~Send your best poems to Odd Pocket Press where I am the judge for the spring issue contest! FREE submission day TOMORROW (Saturday) for BIPOC! Odd Pocket Press
~Okay! Ready to write?!
