Writing Sideways: Turning Clichés to Rich Metaphors

Community of Practice: For Alumni of the Certified Listener Poet course

Thursday, September 18, 2025
3 - 4pm ET


Facilitated by Yvette Perry, Listener Poet and Health Equity Programs Lead

As Listener Poets, we're trained to attend to poemees' stories and imagery to create our poems for them. Sometimes the language poemees use is in the form of common phrases, and even clichés, which can result in less creative poems and sometimes can even hide poemees' deeper feelings and insights. 

In this Community of Practice, Listener Poets are invited to discuss this phenomenon and share strategies for turning "Hallmark card language" to rich metaphors. We will then collectively revise several trite phrases into more meaningful and unique poetic language.