Gillian Devereux received her MFA in Poetry from Old Dominion University and currently teaches ESL classes in Cambridge, MA. Her poems have appeared in No Tell Motel, Open Letters, So and So, apt, H_NGM_N, FOURSQUARE, Gargoyle, 32 Poems, Wicked Alice, and other journals. Her first chapbook They Used to Dance on Saturday Nights was published by Aforementioned Productions in 2011. She likes robots, monkeys, gin, film noir, and the library.
Theme: When Disaster Strikes
This activity is similar to a game you learned as a child.
Think about disasters. These can be natural calamities
or artificial constructions. Make a list of sensory details.
How does disaster taste? What is its most distinctive smell?
Write a descriptive essay using simile and metaphor.
Include details about the disaster, first person accounts,
and the recovery process. Assume recovery is possible.
Assume recovery is advisable. Create a basic chart
presentation on how to prepare for and survive disaster.
Summarize causes and effects. Describe the ensuing chaos.
This may involve the use of imagery or a simple bullet
list of damages. Deaths and other casualties may be depicted
graphically. This assignment requires you to use objects
with prepositions. Suggestions: for, to, about, and with.
You should also consider when, why, and where.
Review what you have written. Draw circles around problems
and that. Write a conclusion that reiterates your main ideas.
Avoid obvious clichés like apocalypse, hunger, or regret.