Montana Book Festival

A roundtable discussion of Surrealism's continuing impact on writing conventions found in contemporary poetry and how Surrealist theories have influenced our North American understanding of writing and society. Panelists will examine how Surrealist techniques allow writers to explore complex social and personal ideas often prevalent in poetry and why explicit Surrealism instruction is valuable to any writing program. A focus will also be placed on the relationship between Surrealism and LGBTQ writing.

Purpose: Contemporary writing is teeming with surrealist techniques and theories but the root of these practices go unexamined and untaught. This panel is designed to encourage the study and discussion of Surrealism as a way for poets to take more authority over common poetic conventions by understanding their origins. We will also demonstrate Surrealism's contemporary usefulness as a tool for expressing complex identity and socio-political issues, such as queer theory.