Nebby Poetry Society

This November we are diving into the modern sonnet. You do not have to channel Shakespeare to write this! No iambic pentameter needed. Your poem doesn’t have to be in meter or have any rhyme scheme. The only rules are that your poem should be 14 lines, and the ninth line has to contain a volta (Italian for “turn”).

The volta is simply a line that creates a shift in emotion or perspective within the poem. The volta could surprise the reader with its change in tone or even answer a question.  Please see the lovely, “October Sonnet” by Adrian Matejka as an example: https://poets.org/poem/october-sonnet and see Leslie Sainz wonderful use of the volta: https://poets.org/poem/sonnet-ochun in her poem, “Sonnet for Ochún.”

If possible, participants are asked to bring several copies of your sonnet so we can workshop our poems together. Be creative and have fun. See you soon.