Overview

Would you like the attention of a small beginning poetry workshop, not unlike ones offered at private universities, without private school tuition fees?

Are you new to poetry writing and interested in dipping your toes in this creative pool? Are you looking for a fun-loving, supportive, and inspiring environment?

If your answer is yes, this is the workshop for you!

Course Description

This course consists of four 90 minute sessions: meeting every Sunday in September from 11am-12:30pm GMT (California time). The first session begins Sunday, Sept. 6th and the last session falls on Sunday, Sept 27th.

The course will offer a bit of light reading during the week: excerpts from Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way" on tools for helping our creative processes to flourish, an article on the useful critiquing method designed by Liz Lerman, articles on how to make use of writer's block, and many poems from a diverse range of classic and contemporary poets around the world.

Each session will begin with a thought clearing and creativity inducing 15 minute free-write. This free write will be followed by optional sharing: what our creative process felt like this week concerning our poetry writing exercises, ways in which you've noticed the free-writing process has effected you. You will also be asked to find time each morning (or any time that works best with your schedule) to complete these free-writing exercises at home, as well, for the duration of the course.

We will then discuss whatever light reading was assigned for the week.

After this discussion, the rest of our time will be spent (minus the last 15 minutes of our workshop) delving into our poetry writing exercise for the week.

Each week will focus on a different element or style of poetry:

WEEK 1: Erasure Poetry

WEEK 2: Alliteration

WEEK 3: Sonnets

WEEK 4: Pantoums

The last 15 minutes of the workshop will hold space for optional sharing on what we have written thus far. We will deliver appreciative finger snaps to those who have shared. Listeners are also allowed to share what moved them or what they enjoyed about the reader's piece.

Each participant will also have the option of developing each exercise into a final poem over the course of the week. As mentioned earlier, myself and workshop participants will employ a specific method for critiquing that is supportive and useful.

Developing and sharing your work is OPTIONAL: if you would rather focus on getting your written creativity moving without the goal of developing finished poems, this is 100% acceptable. The focus is on making this workshop enjoyable and useful for YOU.

I look forward to writing creatively with you and enjoying the thrills of eloquent and thought provoking poetry!