The Specific Releases the Universal with Elio Zarrillo

About this event

Adults. In this poetry workshop, we will explore how concrete detail connects with readers and audiences in ways that abstraction alone may not. Through a series of guided writing exercises and revision strategies, we’ll practice moving from generalities to precision – anchoring our writing in the material details of what we can see, hear, smell, touch, taste, and feel within our own memories and experiences. Participants will learn about a variety of tools to ground their work in the tangible, balance concrete imagery with metaphor, and bring exciting texture to their writing. Resist the need to sound “writerly”! -- Elio Zarrillo is a prairie-born queer who spends their days making art with and for their loved ones. Originally from Treaty 1 territory, they are now based on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, having recently completed an MFA in Creative Writing & Theatre at the University of British Columbia. They work all over the country as a playwright, poet, arts educator, actor, director, and dramaturg. Elio's voracity for poetic and theatrical storytelling come together in their latest work LIAM, a hybrid poetry-performance work about one wanderer’s ruthless search for a new name. -- Accessibility: VPL is committed to making our programs accessible for all. If you have an access need that we have not addressed here, please email us at [email protected]. For more information on physical access, view the Accessibility information on the Mount Pleasant Branch page. -- This class is generously funded by the Canadian Poetry Fund, a local donor-advised fund which fosters accessible public educational outreach for poetry and other forms of creative writing through the services of the Vancouver Public Library.