Will you nurture your writing with an online class?
Whether you’re a new writer or advanced, sometimes the structure of a class can inspire and support you. With feedback that focuses on what’s working well in a poem or piece of creative nonfiction, flexible themes, and all-important prompts and deadlines, my classes are designed to help you produce new work.
CURRENT/UPCOMING CLASSES
February-March 2023
Theme: Heart
For some, “heart” is an unwelcome word in creative work, relegated to sentimentality and children’s unsure cutouts of red construction paper. But it remains an essential metaphor for what matters most: the heart of the poem, heartbroken, heartsore, full of heart, heartened. When we speak of the heart we’re not just talking about romantic love, but about how we survive, what makes us vulnerable, and how we find meaning in the chaos of existence. The poems, flash creative nonfiction pieces, and prompts for this class will ask you to dig into what “heart” means to you.
Synchronous
February 20-March, every Monday evening 7-9pm Eastern Time (5 sessions)
$149LOGISTICS: I’ll email you a sample piece and optional prompt one week before each workshop session. Each piece will be workshopped for approximately 20 minutes, which includes time spent reading the poem/flash essay aloud, so please understand that long pieces will cut into discussion time. Everyone will send their pieces to the class through Zoom chat when the class begins, so we can all have the relevant piece open on our computers during discussion. Please note that I have my own specific rules for workshopping, which I have found over years of teaching serve to support a positive workshop experience. Language matters: we will discuss and respond to participant poems and essays, not “critique” them. Workshop will include praise, interpretation, questions, and suggestions. Comments will be as specific as possible, and discussion will include why and how writerly choices affect the reader. More information on workshop format will be provided with the first writing prompt.
Asynchronous
February 22-March 15 (4 prompts)
$129*
Looking for individual mentoring instead of or in addition to a class? Check out my editing services.
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NOTE: I have 20+ years experience teaching creative writing (poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction) at the college and university level, and over 10 years as co-founder and editor of a literary magazine and chapbook press. I focus on helping writers accomplish what they want to do, rather than dictating a particular aesthetic or approach. This blog post of mine might help explain my philosophy. Students have had poems and essays they produced in my online classes published in Brevity, The Rupture, Still: The Journal, Terrain, and more.