A 5 Week HYBRID Poetry Workshop
Wednesdays, October 4th-November 1st
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
In this master class, participants will explore variations in form in their free-verse work as they write and workshop new poems.
With a steadfast eye on the relationship between style and content, the class will explore the myriad ways that form in free-verse can transform or expand a poem’s possibilities.
In addition to crafting their own formal strategies from real world examples, participants will also have the opportunity to work with received forms. Discussions will naturally extend to the verse line and how it operates within free-verse poems.
This course is designed to sharpen poets’ attention to form and its interplay with content. The class will read a variety of poems, by poets such as Denis Johnson, Marilyn Hacker, Terrance Hayes, and many others.
For the first class, participants should bring a completed poem that they found difficult to execute with regard to form (line breaks, stanza breaks, etc.). In class, they will respond to these poems with a writing exercise, the results of which will supply the material for their first assignment.
Participants should be prepared to write a poem a week. Every week, the instructor will provide an optional assignment modeled on a poem discussed in class. Participants’ poems will be workshopped every other week, for a total of two poems over the course of 5 weeks.
Each week’s session will include a writing prompt, workshopping, and discussion of several texts.
+ SUBMIT After registering, participants are asked to submit a manuscript of up to 3 poems by no later than 9:00 AM on September 9. These poems will not be workshopped; the instructor will be reading them to get a sense of your work. Please email the manuscript to programs@mainewriters.org with the subject line: “MARVIN WORKSHOP MSS.” *Word docs (ideally) or PDFs only, please.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop is a HYBRID workshop, and will occur online via Zoom and IN-PERSON at USM in Portland. Students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the class, as well as the exact location.
+ REQUIRED EQUIPMENT A reliable, fast internet connection (broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE), speakers & a microphone (built-in or USB plug-in), and a webcam (built-in or USB plug-in).
If you would like to quickly and easily test your internet connection and your computer’s compatibility with Zoom, click HERE. Full details on supported Operating Systems, internet browsers, and more can be found HERE. To download and familiarize yourself with Zoom, click HERE.
Cate Marvin published her first two poetry collections, World's Tallest Disaster (2001) and Fragment of the Head of a Queen (2007) with Sarabande Books. Her third book, Oracle, which appeared from Norton, was named a New York Times Best Poetry Book of 2015. She has been a Whiting Award Recipient and a Guggenhiem Fellow. Her most recent book, Event Horizon, was published by Copper Canyon Press in 2022. She is a professor of English at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York, and serves as a faculty mentor at the Stonecoast Low-Residency M.F.A. Program. She resides in Scarborough.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advance registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online (see below). We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact Hannah Perry at hannah@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-228-8263 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one partial scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due on September 6 at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION
$245 Members/$450 Nonmembers