The oldest and most common advice poets hear is “show don’t tell.” But what does that mean, exactly? What is the difference between showing and telling? Why is “showing” better? Most of us write poems to tell readers something, to share our ideas. Many poets—from as far back as John Donne to as recent as Stephen Dunn–do a lot of telling in their poems. So why are we always advised not to tell? In this workshop we will discuss these questions. In the process, we will look at a few well-known poems to see how–or if—they show rather than tell, and we will do some writing exercises that may help us arrive at some conclusions about this persistent advice.

This workshop is open to writers of all skill levels and is a fun way to find inspiration from a new prompt or revise current work. It is hosted by the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara and will use Microsoft Teams for the virtual connection. Sign up to attend the workshop at workshop link

Eric Nelson’s most recent poetry collection, Horse Not Zebra, won both a Da Vinci Eye Award for cover art and an Honorable Mention in Poetry from the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Awarda. His poems have appeared in many journals, including Poetry, The Sun, The Oxford American, and The Missouri Review. Among his awards are the 2014 Gival Press Poetry Book Award for Some Wonder; the 2004 X.J. Kennedy Poetry Award for Terrestrials, chosen by Maxine Kumin; the Arkansas Poetry Award for The Interpretation of Waking Life (1991); the Split Oak Press Chapbook Award for The Twins (2009); the Georgia Author of the Year Award (2005), and fellowships to the Hambidge Center for the Arts and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. He taught writing and literature courses at Georgia Southern University for twenty-six years before retiring in 2015 and moving to Asheville, where he lives with his wife, Stephanie Tames, and teaches in the Great Smokies Writing Program. www.ericnelsonpoet.com.

Volunteer

Water our garden plot at the Greer Community Garden located at 218 West Road, Greer, SC. Our plots are 13,19,25,31. Coming from the parking lot, they will be the last 4 plots to the far left of the first section.

The best time to water is when the temperature is before 80° (in the morning before the sun is too high or in the late afternoon once it’s begun to set).

If you need anything, email Jenn [email protected]

The Spartanburg Soup Kitchen has been serving the community since 1981. With the goal of nourishing those in need both physically and spiritually, they have become an irreplaceable resource in Spartanburg. In addition to their regular services, the soup kitchen also provides a “children’s corner” which offers a special place for kids to enjoy a meal and engage in activities such as story time or drawing with volunteers and other guests. Volunteer Opportunities (Anytime between 9:30-1:30) Food Prep Load and unload incoming donations Organize pantry Assemble children’s take-home bags Dishwasher duty Food line servers After lunch clean up (Tables, chairs, floors)

Volunteer

Water our garden plot at the Greer Community Garden located at 218 West Road, Greer, SC. Our plots are 13,19,25,31. Coming from the parking lot, they will be the last 4 plots to the far left of the first section.

The best time to water is when the temperature is before 80° (in the morning before the sun is too high or in the late afternoon once it’s begun to set).

If you need anything, email Jenn [email protected]

The Spartanburg Soup Kitchen has been serving the community since 1981. With the goal of nourishing those in need both physically and spiritually, they have become an irreplaceable resource in Spartanburg. In addition to their regular services, the soup kitchen also provides a “children’s corner” which offers a special place for kids to enjoy a meal and engage in activities such as story time or drawing with volunteers and other guests. Volunteer Opportunities (Anytime between 9:30-1:30) Food Prep Load and unload incoming donations Organize pantry Assemble children’s take-home bags Dishwasher duty Food line servers After lunch clean up (Tables, chairs, floors)

Holidays The Museum is closed.