Nontraditional Poetry: So Much More Than Rhymes

Nontraditional Poetry: So Much More Than Rhymes is coming to the Westport Branch on Wednesday, October 21, from 12 PM to 2 PM. It's a hands-on writing class that looks at poetry beyond rhyming schemes, and it's part of the Kansas City Public Library's Writers for Readers series, which pairs local writers with readers through these kinds of workshops.

The session focuses on experimental forms—free verse, picture poems, found poetry, and one-line poems—so you'll spend the afternoon working with styles that don't rely on a set meter or a rhyming pattern. It's taught by a graduate student in the University of Missouri-Kansas City's MFA Program in Creative Writing, and the Writers for Readers series is one of the city's larger literary programs. The program also awards a Maya Angelou Book Award, with the proceeds funding graduate internships for students who teach these writing classes.

The class is held at the Westport Branch, the oldest and one of the most history-steeped branches in the system. It opened in 1898 as the Allen Library and joined the public library later that year when Westport was annexed into Kansas City—the system's first expansion beyond downtown and the Main Library. It celebrated its 125th year as a Westport anchor in February 2023.

If you've ever felt like poetry had to rhyme to count, this is a good place to see how it works when you drop that requirement. The class runs from 12 PM to 2 PM on Wednesday, October 21, at the Westport Branch, 118 Westport Road, Kansas City, MO 64111.