August Speaker: Nils Michals – Poet and Teacher – Painting Pictures With Words
by Shari Clare
To help writers of all genres learn how to choose the right words for creating vivid images, the South Bay Writers Club will welcome poet and teacher Nils Michals as our August speaker.
Nils has been teaching at West Valley College for the past ten years. His journey to becoming a teacher was not one that he would have expected when he first started out. Although Nils has always wanted to be a writer, he kept his poetry a secret when he was a shy high school student in San Diego County. It wasn’t until he pursued his MFA in Poetry at the University of Montana, when he was required to teach a composition course, that he discovered how much he enjoyed teaching. At his position at West Valley, he has been able to try out new ideas in the classroom. One of his favorites was a class that he developed on children’s literature, specifically around the idea of “choose your own adventure” in which students decided on adventures and then ultimately wrote their own book in this genre. As a poet himself, he particularly enjoys teaching classes on the literature of poetry, and recently taught a class focused on California poets.
During his presentation, Nils will describe how another of his favorite poets, Rainer Maria Rilke, was influenced by his viewing of paintings by Cezanne. He will lead our group through some hands-on exercises that explore how we as writers can approach images. You will not want to miss this interactive presentation and the opportunity to try your hand at some fun and creative writing exercises with the noted poet and masterful teacher, Nils Michals.
Where: Saratoga Senior Center – 19655 Allendale Ave, Saratoga 95070
When: Saturday, Aug 9, 10:30 am
Admission: $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers