All the poems of our lives are not yet made.We hear them crying to us, the wounds, the young and the unborn — we will define that peace, we will live to fight its birth, to build these meanings, to sing these songs.
-Muriel Rykeyser, The Life of Poetry
FINDING JOY: A GENERATIVE CLASS
SATURDAY, JULY 26
Live on Zoom 9-11:30am Pacific Time, $100
”I have drunken deep of joy.
And I will taste no other wine tonight.”—Shelley
Depressed about the state of our country and the world? You’re not the only one. In a time of so much uncertainty and upheaval, it's good to remember that poetry is a place to find solace. Poetry can remind us to be both graceful and grateful, and to celebrate the good things this world holds. We'll think about poems that focus on on joy, on hope, on solace--which may involve acknowledgement of struggle, since light and dark are intertwined. We'll read and discuss some poems that offer light in these dark times, and use them as inspiration for drafting a few words of our own.
AUGUST: Weekly POETRY WORKSHOP
Sundays 9:30—noon Pacific Time Aug 3-31
5 meetings $450
Limited to 8 poets
If you’ve got some drafts you want to do some serious work on, a critique workshop is a perfect place to get some feedback and encouragement to get your piece to the next—and better—incarnation. Serious, supportive readings of your drafts, with an eye to seeing what’s working, what’s not, and where you have the opportunity to go deeper. For this class only, a simple application is required. If I haven’t worked with you before, send one poem and a short paragraph about any workshop/publication experience. Publication not required, just a commitment to furthering your craft and vision with the help of some like-minded readers.
LET’S WRITE INTENSIVE: MEMORIES
GENERATIVE/CRAFT CLASS
Aug 11-15, Mon-Fri, 9:30—noon Pacific Time
$500
Memory…is the diary that we all carry about with us," Oscar Wilde
Looking to devote some serious time to push through that “I can’t write” feeling? We’re going to do lots of writing in this class. We’ll be exploring things like structuring a narrative poem, narrative compression, handling past and present in a single poem, lyrical structures, and juxtaposition. We’ll unearth old memories and bring recent ones to light, as well as think about the connections between individual and collective memory and experience. We’ll read poems together to better understand the moves of other writers. You’ll finish the week with several drafts and even more ideas for writing.
BOOks for Poets
FINGER EXERCISES FOR POETS, Dorianne Laux (W.W. Norton)
ORDINARY GENIUS: A GUIDE FOR THE POET WITHIN, Kim Addonizio (W.W. Norton)
THE POET'S COMPANION: A GUIDE TO THE PLEASURES OF WRITING POETRY, Kim Addonizio & Dorianne Laux (W.W. Norton)
IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND: THE POET'S PORTABLE WORKSHOP, Steve Kowit (Tilbury House)
WHY POETRY, Matthew Zapruder (Ecco)
BEST WORDS, BEST ORDER, Stephen Dobyns (St. Martin's)
STRUCTURE AND SURPRISE :ENGAGING POETIC TURNS, ed. Michael Theune (Teachers & Writers)
POETIC METER & POETIC FORM, Paul Fussell (McGraw Hill)
TEXT BOOK: AN INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY LANGUAGE, Robert Scholes, Nancy Comley, Greg Ulmer er (St. Martin's
