In this workshop we will go through a wide array of poetic writing exercises and use chance to open the poetic voice and the ability to build metaphor, analogies and erraticate the weight of clichés within poetry. Poetry lives within unique ways of seeing and then the language follows. We will also use the technique of ekphrasis (writing to paintings) to set our language on fire. All these exercises are designed to help writers or any artist to get out of their own way and to let the ego step aside in order to craft truly wild language.Open to all disciplines of artist. Please bring a notebook and writing instrument and not necessary but if you have one a phone, iPad or laptap.

Michael Deragon has been a College Professor for the past 15 years and has worked extensively with multidisciplinary artists in the film and theatre scene. He most recently was primary faculty at the American Music and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles teaching Creative Writing, Literature, Art History, Film History and Experimental Music. He also designed and ran workshops in Spoken Word, Songwriting, Audio Engineering, Performance Installations (language, dance, video, music), and Film Making. He has also taught a variety of courses at CalState Northridge, CalARTS and Chester Collage of New England. He holds Master in Fine Arts Degrees (MFA) from CalARTS and Goddard Collage.

Michael is a published poet, a showing visual artist and a film composer(Moon Garden, Cold Brook). He has been working professionally in the art/music/film industry for over 25 years.