by Writing Workshops Staff
2 weeks ago
In a world increasingly defined by productivity metrics and algorithmic efficiencies, the poet Erica Anzalone offers something deliciously subversive: an invitation to slow down, to listen to the whispers that emerge from our dream states, and to engage with the ancient, mystical forces that have inspired literary giants across centuries.
Anzalone's award-winning collection Samsara established her as a formidable voice in contemporary poetry. In our conversation, she discussed the creative energies she channels into her work and teaching.
"I wrote the title poem of my first book with a vase of white roses on my second-hand desk," she recalls. "It had metal drawers for surgical equipment. This mix of the earthly beauty of the roses and the grotesque taint of death from the desk, perhaps invoked the embodied experience of writing this poem."
This tension between beauty and decay, between the conscious and unconscious mind, forms the foundation of Anzalone's upcoming four-week course, Playing with Duende, Dreams, and Magic: a Lyric Intensive.
Drawing on her eighteen years of teaching experience, her MFA from the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop, and her doctorate from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Anzalone has crafted a curriculum that promises to transport participants beyond conventional writing techniques into realms where dreams blur with waking life, where Tarot cards become portals to the collective unconscious, and where the mysterious force Federico García Lorca called "duende" rises "from the blood."
What distinguishes Anzalone's approach from other poetry workshops is her belief that literary theory and occult traditions aren't merely academic subjects to be studied but living practices to be embodied.
In her classroom, the mystical thread connecting Keats and Yeats to Sylvia Plath and Diane Seuss becomes palpable—a current her students can tap into for their own creative explorations.
Former student Kristilyn Ink describes the experience as transformative: "These classes have really boosted my confidence and filled my well of creativity... I'm so grateful to Erica and the writing coven that is forming through these classes." Another student, Kerri Vasilakos, whose poetry has since appeared in multiple literary publications, credits Anzalone with seeing "potential where I did not" and teaching her "to trust in my own writing."
As we sit down with Anzalone to discuss her upcoming course, what emerges is not just a syllabus but a doorway to the liminal—an opportunity to access what poet Kathleen Raine described when speaking of Yeats: "For Yeats, magic was not so much a kind of poetry as poetry a kind of magic, and the object of both alike was the evocation of energies and knowledge from beyond normal consciousness."
Writing Workshops: You often mention the role of Duende in poetry, a force Lorca described as arising from deep within the body. Can you tell us about a personal moment when you felt the pull of duende in your writing and how it transformed your creative process?
Erica Anzalone: Yes, I wrote the title poem of my first book Samsara with a vase of white roses on my second-hand desk. It had metal drawers for surgical equipment. This mix of the earthly beauty of the roses, and the grotesque taint of death from the desk perhaps invoked the embodied experience of writing this poem. It felt more like channeling or receiving dictation from what we’d commonly call the muse but Lorca would call Duende.
WW: Your class explores the interplay of dreams, the collective unconscious, and Tarot. These forces might feel mysterious or intangible to some. How do you guide students to move from intangible inspiration to the tangible act of writing a poem or lyric essay?
EA: I approach writing through Tarot in a way similar to how I would approach writing about a work of art. While the symbolism in Tarot may seem abstract, it’s filled with vivid, concrete imagery and archetypal figures like The Fool, The Devil, and Death. Much like a compelling poetry collection, the Tarot contains recurring motifs—one of which, for instance, is the image of white roses. These elements offer rich material for poetry and storytelling.
The same can be said for dreams. We may not always understand what they “mean,” but they present us with imagery as clear and powerful as a film scene. In dreams, the protagonist and other characters are often active in a concrete setting, which helps writers create and hone scene work. Dreams bring surreal visuals, dynamic characters, and immersive environments to life—elements our conscious minds might not easily create on their own. Both Tarot and dreams offer a wealth of raw material for creative writing, from symbolism and structure to rich, vivid imagery, all of which can be woven into poetry or lyric essays.
WW: In blending dream life, literary theory, and the occult, what do you believe unlocks in a writer’s creative practice that more traditional approaches might leave untouched?
EA: Traditionally, I teach poetry as a practice of imitation. We analyze poems closely to understand the techniques that can be adapted for our own writing. Whether we’re working within a traditional form like a sonnet or something more organic, poetry requires a structure.
Dreams can provide structure. Like poetry, they often follow associative logic, and, much like a poem, they sometimes unfold in distinct forms—such as a diptych or triptych, as noted in Dream Wise: Unlocking the Power of Your Dreams by Jungian psychologists Lisa Marchiano, Deborah Stewart, and Joseph Lee. The diptych and triptych are also dynamic forms for lyric essays and visual ar. We can make sense of chaotic dreams, even those that jump abruptly from one scene to another, by applying poetic structures—like verse, chorus, and bridge.
In encouraging students to keep dream journals, I hope they learn to tap into the surreal imagery of their dreams and the inherent structure these dreams offer, allowing them to create original work that resonates with universal archetypes. Literary theory, especially that influenced by the occult, gives us a conscious framework for understanding the unconscious. This approach provides writers with a sense of agency over their work—allowing them to draw from both their own internal worlds and something beyond them.
WW: From Keats and Yeats to Sylvia Plath and Diane Seuss, you highlight an occult or mystical thread running through different eras of poetry. What do you see as the connective tissue that binds these writers together, and how do you plan to reveal it to your students?
EA: A quote from poet Kathleen Raine captures this perfectly: “For Yeats, magic was not so much a kind of poetry as poetry a kind of magic, and the object of both alike was the evocation of energies and knowledge from beyond normal consciousness.” This is the connective tissue.
The term “occult” comes from the Latin occultus, meaning "hidden" or "concealed." It implies something that is secret, not immediately visible or accessible, and this aligns with the kind of mystical force that runs through these poets’ works. My goal is not so much to "reveal" these occult aspects, but to inspire students to listen to and give voice to that mysterious, often unconscious force within themselves.
In class, we plant seeds through close reading and writing exercises, whether they stem from dreams or writing prompts, and support one another through encouraging feedback. My hope is that students will continue to nurture these seeds outside of the classroom, allowing them to grow into fully realized works. It’s always incredibly rewarding to see students publish work that originated in my classes.
Learn more about Erica's class, Playing with Duende, Dreams, and Magic: a 4-Week Lyric Intensive, and sign up now to avoid the waitlist!
Dr. Erica Anzalone is the author of the award-winning collection, Samsara. Erica holds an MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a doctorate in English from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, where she was awarded a Schaeffer fellowship. With over eighteen years of teaching experience at the college level, Erica's work has appeared or is forthcoming in Autofocus Literary Magazine, The Colorado Review, Hotel Amerika, Cream City Review, Juked, Pangyrus, Denver Quarterly, The Literary Review, The Offending Adam, Pleiades, Sentence, UCity Review, and elsewhere.
