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 fully 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—both to deepen our understanding of what we mean to say and to discover better means within the tradition of poetry of expressing it. The course will incorporate writing prompts, exercises and exemplars intended to inspire us and to broaden our poetic technique. Poetry workshop will work as well for beginners as it will for quite experienced writers.