Please note that this is an online workshop conducted via Zoom. Participants will be provided information on how to join the online sessions.

This workshop is full, please sign up on the waiting list here so you receive priority registration the next time this class is offered.

This tuition-free workshop is open only to K-12 educators.

Poetic Voice

What is happening when we feel ourselves growing attached to a writer’s “voice”? Is voice always present, or must it be cultivated from sentence to sentence?

In this class, we’ll discuss “voice” with a focus on poetry and some peripheral prose. We’ll discover together what constitutes a writer’s voice (or voices!) and ply our own in original work. We’ll look at mostly contemporary poetry, with a few older poems, some song lyrics, fiction, and nonfiction mixed in as well. While reading is a joy, this workshop is generative in purpose. We’ll use the readings to stimulate in-class writing exercises that may lead to complete drafts. The second half of the class will be focused on caring for each other’s work through thoughtful celebration and, if invited, critique. Whether you are new to poetry or you are already published, this class promises an engaging conversation.