Poetry Workshop: Revising and Honing your Poetic Vision
Adult Multi-Week | Available
This class focuses on basic tips for revising poetry, giving and receiving constructive poetic feedback, and how to further revise a poem after a group workshop. First, we'll get inspired by topics or prompts discussed in class and revise poems you have been working on to get them workshop-ready. Then, workshop your poem among peers to get some outside perspective and a better idea of what problems your poem draft might encounter in the wilds of publishing. Students will leave this class with a more solid revision and a better idea of what to do with their poem post-workshop!
- Students may choose to bring a notebook and/or favorite writing instrument. If there is a need or want for digital writing, they can bring their laptops or tablets. All other materials will be provided. There is no prior poetic experience required for this class, but this class does require that students come to class with at least one poem they would feel comfortable workshopping amongst the class.
Accessibility notes: Many artmaking processes require the ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time, fine motor skills/finger dexterity, repetitive motions, vision, and some amount of physical strength. VisArts values making classes accessible to everyone, and is always happy to work with students to make accommodations when possible. Please reach out to info@visarts.org with specific questions related to accessibility or accommodations.
Classes are confirmed one week prior to the start date. In order to help us confirm classes, please register as early as possible.
Emily Okamoto-Green
Emily Okamoto-Green is a half-Japanese essayist, poet, and animal lover. Originally from Shizuoka-ken, Japan's green tea capital, her family relocated to Richmond, VA in 1998. A 2018 Graduate of George Mason University’s Honors and English Honors College, she graduated from GMU again in 2021 with her MFA in Poetry. Her accolades include the Virginia Downs Poetry Award, the Joseph Lohman III Poetry Prize, The Alan Cheuse International Writers Center 2020 fellowship, YesPoetry Magazine’s Poet of the Month, and inaugural winner of the Berkey Essay Contest. Her life highlights include Arthur Sze once saying her poem had a sense of wonder, bowing on stage at Carnegie Hall as a teenaged poet, and any time a cat or dog has come up to her without her first initiating the interaction. Emily tries to spend as much time as possible with her feet in the Atlantic or dreaming of them in the Pacific once more. She currently serves as the Writer in Residence for the Visual Arts Center of Richmond.
Instagram: @emi.dori