Bread Loaf Lecture Series: “Debut Books of Poetry: Notes on Sounding Like Yourself” with Brenda Shaughnessy

You’ve immersed in flow, process, form, revision, workshop, submissions, and now—what will/could all that creative and administrative energy add up to? What are the hallmarks, conventions, and pitfalls of the debut collection? How can a book “sound like” its author? This talk explores the elements of and issues around the debut poetry collection, both in contemporary literary history and in current publishing practices—and is meant to inform, inspire, and challenge those poets working on their first manuscripts.