Aside from the perfunctory stuff we crank out at work or at the kitchen table, writing finds its source in solitude, but it cannot remain there if it is to come to fruition. Paradoxically, this is so even when we are “writing for ourselves,” even — perhaps especially — in a genre such as poetry, which is sometimes regarded as the most private sort of writing. We will share and discuss our poetry — full drafts, promising scribblings — in search of ways for it to grow from where it is to where it might be.

We share our work as much to discover what we mean to say as to better express what we have already decided to say. We will limber up from time to time by sharing brief extemporaneous writing exercises, and will consider a few simple techniques for making writing a more enjoyable and productive undertaking. Poetry Workshop will work equally well for beginners and for quite experienced writers.

The core of the course is the shared editing of drafts of poetic writing.This activity will be supplemented with in-class extemporaneous writing exercises as a means of inspiration for new subject matter or new approaches to our writing. We will also look into a few simple techniques for making writing a more enjoyable and productive undertaking.