Poetry Generation Intensive

[In the behavior of termites] “it is the product of work itself that provides both the stimulus and instructions for further work.” —Lewis Thomas, The Lives of a Cell

“When generating new poems, both beginning and experienced writers can fall into the habit of going back to the same well again and again, never considering the possibility of multiple watersheds,” says instructor Lisa Gluskin Stonestreet.

In this class, students will explore multiple techniques for generating new poems, and for drawing possibilities for new work from our own and others’ existing poems. We’ll look at methods for initiating, guiding, and expanding drafts; developing a repertoire of starting points beyond the topic and the image; and workshopping poems with an eye to opening them up to further invention.

This course has five weekly meetings, with a combination of reading, in-class discussion, writing exercises, workshopping, and instructor feedback. Students will leave this class with new work and a collection of tools to help them keep generating new material to work with, as well as skills for discussing drafts of poems.

About The Writing Salon's Remote Classes

Due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, The Writing Salon is running all classes in a remote learning format. You will be able to participate in live class meetings via Zoom videoconference. To attend classes, you'll need a phone, tablet or computer and access to the internet. You can participate in the class from wherever you'd like, whether on your living room couch or in your office. Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about Zoom and your remote class. If you have any questions about remote learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.