Forms & Features with Leigh Sugar

Erasure is often thought of as a formal process we “do” to existing poems by other artists. What happens when we apply this process to our own original poems? Erasure and so-called “self-erasure” are related to disappearing forms, such as the burning haibun. Both techniques lead us to questions and considerations of palimpsest–what exists underneath, or alongside, the “surface” text. 

In this workshop, we will study examples of disappearing forms and self-erased poems before erasing our own poems to discover what lives underneath these original documents. Particular questions and considerations include ideas around self-erasure as a “conversation with the self” and the relationship between self-erasure and various perspectives of “justice.” Throughout this process we will ask the following: 

• How do the original and disappeared/erased forms relate (or not relate) to each other? 
• What does the disappeared/erased version say or reveal about the original? 
• What does it say about ourselves? 

This workshop is for participants aged 18 and older, of all backgrounds and experiences with reading and writing poetry. You're encouraged, though not required, to bring a couple of your own finished poems to this workshop.