The Ampersand Review January Writing Series

The poem begins at the word, and the word is rooted in the syllable. The rhythm of each line of poetry, depends on the breath that each syllable exhausts by its phrasing. Using the physical breath as a unit for the utterance, sustenance and exhaustion of the line, can syncopate the rhythm of each poem, elevating its performance. The breath is therefore a true limit for live expression that has to be considered while composing any length of syllables into a line of poetry, since a line on the page can infinitely drag a breath, that in live performance, will eventually exhaust itself. By using the active components of our breath in composition, our page can become aligned with the natural limits of our body, and this synthesis is the alchemy that makes gold of any composed poem. Join Khashayar Mohammadi for an exploratory workshop on utilizing breath and pauses to write poetry.

Khashayar “Kess” Mohammadi (they/them) is a queer, Iranian-born, Toronto-based poet, writer and translator. They are the winner of the 2021 Vallum Poetry Award and the author of nine chapbooks of poetry. The Book of Interruptions is their fifth poetry book, now out with Wolsak and Wynn press.