Joy Roulier Sawyer | Writers.com

Start Your Writing Journey!

Elle | Community Manager — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 17:59:16 +0000

Do you want to write a novel, memoir, or poetry, but have absolutely no clue where to begin? Got a sizzling writing idea, but need help to pursue your literary dream? Or don’t even know what you want to write, but know you gotta start somewhere? You can launch your writing career here. Right now.

This isn’t a grammar workshop, so write “lay” or “lie” depending on your mood. You’ll learn some key principles of good writing, as well as face down the pesky Inner Critic; tackle a variety of blocks and obstacles; explore creative goal-setting; discover your own unique approach to writing; and learn to build and sustain a writing life. And so much more. No previous writing experience necessary.

Learning and Writing Goals

Learning Goals

In this course, you will:

Develop a toolkit to launch yourself into writing: anytime, anywhere.
Discover how to create your own writing prompts, in order to work either the left or right side of the brain.
Learn the secret formula to good writing, and how it might immediately improve the quality of your creative work.
Understand better just why you want to write, and how knowing that changes everything.
Uncover strategies to overcome perfectionism, writing blocks, fear… anything standing in the way of your writing.
Unearth your own personalized writing life, and how you might design your own unique creative habits and practices.

Writing Goals

In this course, you will:

Take part in in-class writes, designed to generate new work.
Experiment with writing several different genres.
Uncover hidden writing gifts and strengths.
Receive prompts for optional writing outside of class.
Write 8 to 15 new pieces during the course of the class.

Zoom and Wet Ink Schedule:

Classes held for six weeks on Wednesdays. Students will post weekly assignments on Wet.Ink.

Weekly Syllabus

Week 1: Gotta Start Somewhere

The Poetry of Play

Elle | Community Manager — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 15:39:24 +0000

Science has proven the many benefits of play—and that includes the exhilaration of reading and writing poetry. As the essayist and poet Diane Ackerman says, “Every poem is a game, a ritual dance with words.” Playing with meaning, sound, punctuation, titles, clichés, and absurdities can provide both blissful relaxation and help sharpen poetic craft.

As Ackerman says, “The spirit of deep play is spontaneity, discovery, and being open to new challenges.” In this class, we’ll enjoy a rollicking good time by responding to poetry’s call to do just that. Students will read a wide variety of playful poetry, then experiment with in-class writing prompts designed to awaken freedom and enjoyment.

It’s true: we’ll write ourselves silly. And if you haven’t already: you’ll learn to write poetry, too.

Learning and Writing Goals

Writing Goals

You’ll read many poets whose playful or humorous poems lighten our lives. Among them are: David Lehman, e.e. cummings, Naomi Shihab Nye, J Diego Frey, Marge Piercy, Tony Hoagland, Lewis Carroll, Marilyn Krysl, Roger Mitchell, Paul Willis, Shel Silverstein, Ronald Wallace, and others.
You’ll explore the solid connection between play and good poetic craft.
You’ll learn a variety of ways how you might read playful poems, in order to use them as springboards for your work.
You’ll reflect on and write about your own experience of play and freedom as it expresses itself through reading and/or writing poetry.

Writing Goals

You’ll read and write poems with playful themes, both inside and outside of class.
You’ll define for yourself how you’d like to integrate play into your writing process, then craft poems accordingly.
You’ll receive extra poetry prompts in each session that you can use to write extra poems outside of class.
You can expect to write at least 5-10 new poems during the course.

Zoom Schedule

Classes held for four weeks on Wednesdays, May 28, Jun. 4, 11, and 18 at 7-8:30 ET/6-7:30 CT/5-6:30 MT/4-5:30 PT. During our time together, we’ll both read and talk about poems, write in response, and share our work when we can.

Course Syllabus

Week 1: Learn How to Play.

The Spirituality of Poetry

Sean Glatch — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 16:36:43 +0000

Poetry has long reflected the rich depth and breadth of humanity’s myriad approaches to spirituality. In a world rife with confusion and conflict, spiritual poetry can both deeply nourish our souls and create compassionate bridges between us. No matter how each of us might define spirituality, both reading and writing poems that explore this important life dimension has the potential to make us better human beings.

In this course, you’ll explore many poets whose work radiate with broad definitions of spirituality. Our weekly readings are designed to help center and balance you, as well as help you explore your own beliefs and approaches to a spiritual life. Through guided, in-class writing prompts, you’ll also have the opportunity to discover more about yourself as a spiritual seeker.

In addition, the various weekly writing assignments will help you use your course readings as creative catalysts, as well as to grow in your ability to give feedback to those who express their spirituality differently than you. No previous experience is needed—all are welcome to explore the movement of the spirit through the miraculous vehicle of poetry!

Learning Goals

You’ll read many poets whose work radiate with a variety of spiritual themes across a broad spectrum of traditions: Rumi, Antonio Machado, Jane Kenyon, Mary Oliver, e.e. cummings, Rebecca Baggett, Ranier Maria Rilke, David Whyte, Kaylin Haught, Annie Finch, David Wagoner, Joy Harjo, Anne Porter, R.S. Thomas, Bhagavad Vita, Denise Levertov, Federico Garcia Lorca, Vassar Miller, and others.
You’ll explore the rich connection between spirituality and good poetic craft.
You’ll reflect on and write about your own spirituality as it expresses itself through poetry.

Writing Goals

You’ll read and write poems with spiritual themes, both inside and outside of class.
You’ll define for yourself how you’d like your own poetry to reflect the spiritual.
You’ll receive extra writing prompts you can use to write future poems.
You’ll learn a variety of ways how to use poems as springboards for your work.

Zoom Schedule

Classes held for six weeks Wednesdays, Oct. 29-Dec. 3, 7-8:30 U.S. Eastern Time. During our time together, we’ll both read and talk about poems, write in response, and share our work when we can.

Syllabus

Week 1: Wonder & Spirituality.

The Joy of Poetry: A Beginner-Friendly Workshop

Frederick Meyer — Sat, 17 Sep 2022 23:38:24 +0000

Do you want to get started as a poet? Or do you dabble in writing poetry, but want to learn (or revisit) basic elements of craft? This highly experiential, non-critiquing workshop is for you! We’ll read and discuss quality contemporary poems, explore basic poetic craft elements and genres, and experiment with a wide variety of challenging poetry exercises. We’ll also have a playful time busting through your most persistent poetry blocks. Come write, write, write yourself silly. Seriously. No previous poetry experience necessary, and in-class writing feedback optional.

Learning and Writing Goals

By the end of this course, students will learn:

Basic poetry elements, including: metaphor, simile, image, rhythm, voice, line breaks, end rhyme, internal rhyme, slant rhyme, assonance, consonance, alliteration, anaphora, and meter.
Basic poetry forms: ekphrastic, blank verse, narrative, sonnet, haiku, couplets, odes, and epistolary and found poems.
Introduction to contemporary poets Tony Hoagland, Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ursula LeGuin, Philip Schultz, Marilyn Krysl, Louise Erdrich, Wendell Berry, Joy Harjo, Ethridge Knight, William Baer, Billy Collins, Michael Henry, John Brehm, Pablo Neruda, Edwin Romand, and Mark Irwin.

Students will write several poems using basic poetry elements and in a variety of forms.

Zoom Schedule

This course will meet every Wednesday from 7:00-8:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.

Course Syllabus

Week 1: The Delight of Poetry.

The Healing Power of Poetry

Frederick Meyer — Sat, 17 Sep 2022 23:38:23 +0000

Poetry has long served as a healing balm for the soul—an exploration into beauty, balance, humor, wisdom, and love. Indeed, recent neurological research confirms yet another positive aspect of reading and writing verse: poetry is good for the brain.

In this course, you’ll journey alongside several poets whose works resonate with a variety of healing themes, and receive tips on choosing poems that are good springboards for your future writing. Our in-class reading is designed to help center and balance you, while the prompts in response will encourage writing that offers personal insight and wisdom.

In addition, we’ll also discuss basic principles of developmental poetry therapy, and how you might use this approach to write through normal life cycle events, such as birth, career, marriage, divorce, and death. You’ll also receive healing poetry homework that will continue to provide you creative nourishment throughout the week. No previous experience is needed for this poetry immersion.

Learning and Writing Goals

Students will learn:

About many contemporary poets whose work is widely used in poetry therapy, among them: Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Joy Harjo, Li-Young Li, George Ella Lyon, Amy Christman, William Stafford, J. Ruth Gendler, Derek Walcott, Starhawk, Pesha Gertler, Molly Fisk, and others.
An overview of the Hynes & Hynes-Berry Biblio/Poetry Therapy model used in developmental poetry therapy, which is the model we’ll use to both read and respond to poetry. We’ll also visit literature selection criteria for choosing healing poems.
Basic psychological and neurobiological research on the healing power of poetry.
How good poetic craft—concrete, sensory, specific detail—contains inherently healing qualities.
How to use basic craft elements, such as metaphor, anaphora, imagery, sound, rhythm, voice, and formal verse, as healing tools.

Students will write:

Students will generate 3 or 4 completed poems by the end of class.

Zoom Schedule

This course will meet on Zoom on Wednesdays at 7:00-8:30 P.M. U.S. Eastern Time.

Weekly Syllabus

Week 1: Balance and Calm