Poetry Play: The Journey of Finding Surprise by Aliesa Zoecklein
Name:
Poetry Play: The Journey of Finding Surprise by Aliesa Zoecklein
Date:
April 12, 2026
Time:
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM EDT
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Event Description:
Come join the Writers Alliance of Gainesville on Sunday, April 12, at 2:30 p.m., when local poet and former Santa Fe College writing instructor Aliesa Zoecklein will share her secrets about discovery in writing poetry.
Zoecklein’s poems have been published in New Feathers Anthology, Bacopa Literary Review, Thimble Literary Magazine, River Heron Review, and other journals. Her chapbook At Each Moment, Air won the Peter Meinke Poetry Prize and was published by YellowJacket Press.
“The thrill of writing poems is in the discovery,” Zoecklein says, “so I love to talk about how we can journey ourselves toward that surprise. I’ll share some practices I use when first searching for my poems and then drafting.”
She will offer ideas for keeping our initial attempts playful and wide-ranging. And how, if we’re lucky, these practices can dispel resistance or boredom. She’ll also discuss how shaping the poem—deciding on line breaks, for example—can help open the poem in a generative way.
“I am always learning anew how to trust language to lift me toward what I don’t already know. I look forward to exchanging ideas and taking the group through one or two fun exercises.
Zoecklein taught writing for 25 years at Santa Fe College. Happily retired, she lives with her wife in Gainesville, Florida, where she writes, gardens, and studies Spanish.
The program is free and open to the public.
Zoecklein’s poems have been published in New Feathers Anthology, Bacopa Literary Review, Thimble Literary Magazine, River Heron Review, and other journals. Her chapbook At Each Moment, Air won the Peter Meinke Poetry Prize and was published by YellowJacket Press.
“The thrill of writing poems is in the discovery,” Zoecklein says, “so I love to talk about how we can journey ourselves toward that surprise. I’ll share some practices I use when first searching for my poems and then drafting.”
She will offer ideas for keeping our initial attempts playful and wide-ranging. And how, if we’re lucky, these practices can dispel resistance or boredom. She’ll also discuss how shaping the poem—deciding on line breaks, for example—can help open the poem in a generative way.
“I am always learning anew how to trust language to lift me toward what I don’t already know. I look forward to exchanging ideas and taking the group through one or two fun exercises.
Zoecklein taught writing for 25 years at Santa Fe College. Happily retired, she lives with her wife in Gainesville, Florida, where she writes, gardens, and studies Spanish.
The program is free and open to the public.
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