Neurotica Erotica: Love Poems for the Nervous & Highly Strung

Surprise the Line presents a special one-time guest workshop led by experienced writers on a topic of their choosing every first Saturday of the month. This month, you are invited to attend a very fun generative poetry workshop where we will dive into all the juicy messiness of love—just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Cathartic Release for the Pain of Broken-Hearted, Unrequited, Disappointed or Simply Messy LOVE. Let’s make a BIG MESS.

What You’ll Get From This Workshop:

• Examples and discussion of “neurotic erotica” poems

• Introduction to the anthology Bleeding Hearts: Love Poems for the Nervous & Highly Strung

• Generative writing prompt to pen your own love/anti-love poem

• Time to write and share in a non-judgmental and supportive group setting (not critique)

What We’ll Do Together:

This is not your typical “love poem” workshop. Whether you’re single, married, in love, in regret, in denial, in yearning, or anywhere else around the outskirts of the heart, you are invited to come and explore your *neuroses* around the phenomenon of love. We all know we have them, so this is a space to write about them, let them out, face them, love them, transform them…

In this workshop, we will explore the questions: Do love poems have to be sweet? Isn’t love messy and complicated? We will read and write poems that are dynamic in their imperfections. Whether you are in or out of a relationship, you are invited to explore your neuroses around love and turn your wounds into words.

Armine will be giving prompts from one of her favorite poetry anthologies, Bleeding Hearts: Love Poems for the Nervous & Highly Strung, to get us in the mood to write some messy, beautifully disheleved lovin’ (or non-lovin’) poems. However you come, come as you are! Hugs and laughter will be provided.

About the Teacher:

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Arminé Iknadossian immigrated to the United States in 1978 to escape the civil war. She is the author of All That Wasted Fruit (Main Street Rag Press, 2018). She earned an MFA from Antioch University where she was awarded a fellowship from Summer Poetry in Idyllwild. After teaching English for 20 years, Iknadossian wrote United States of Love & Other Poems (2015). During her tenure as a teacher, The Los Angeles Writing Project awarded Iknadossian a fellowship for their summer residency. Iknadossian currently lives close to the sea with Henry the Cat.