There is no formula for making poems that surprise and sing us into new understandings, so truly giving ourselves over to the unknown as poets is a risky business. What does it mean to genuinely take risks when writing poems, to be willing to sail to the edge of the map? In pursuing this question, we’ll look at tricky syntax, lyrical wanderings, and sonic conflagrations in the poems of Jennifer Chang, Mary Ruefle, Kathryn Nuernberger, Kiki Petrosino, and more. Our own writing in the session will examine the twinned relationship of fear and risk—aiming our poetry boats through monstery waters toward rumored shores.