A 5-Week Generative Poetry Workshop
Saturdays, October 23 to November 20
Level: All Levels
How do you start writing a poem? You write words on a page. Of course, the work doesn’t stop there, but you need material to sculpt into the first draft of a poem, which will evolve as you revise it later. This course will support and push you to start writing the poems you’ve always wanted to write.
Each week, participants will turn in poem drafts generated from writing prompts focused on different poetic styles and structures. Together we will review our drafts and support each other through the revision process. In this workshop, you will learn more about your writing process, gain tools to keep you writing, and leave with a body of poems to build on.
+ SUBMIT After registering, participants are asked to submit one poem by no later than 9:00 a.m. on Friday, October 15. Please take this deadline seriously as late submissions likely cannot be accepted. Please note that this poem will not count as your first submission for the class (unless you’d like it to); your instructor will read it to get a sense of your work before class begins. Please email the manuscript to programs@mainewriters.org with the subject line: “JOHNSTON WORKSHOP MSS.” *Please use standard formatting (1” margins, 12 pt font), and Word docs (ideally) or PDFs only.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online via Zoom. Students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. On Thursday, October 21, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, MWPA staff will offer a tech help session on Zoom. Students are encouraged to attend the tech help session, which usually takes only 5-10 minutes, if they have any tech concerns, use Zoom infrequently, or simply would like to test their connection, and those who do not are responsible for ensuring that they are able to use Zoom on their own. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the test session and the class.
+ 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.
PAYMENTS MWPA members may pay for this workshop in one payment, or may pay in two installments of $122.50, due at registration and November 8. *PLEASE NOTE If you have selected to pay for this multi-week workshop on the installment option, once registration for the workshop has closed, you are responsible for paying all of the remaining installments. If you should, for any reason, leave the workshop after registration has closed, you are still responsible for paying all of the remaining installments.
CEU The MWPA is proud to offer Continuing Education Units (CEU) for this workshop. The CEU is a nationally recognized method of quantifying the time spent in the classroom during non-credit learning. Ten hours of instruction equal one (1) CEU. (*Please note that by definition, CEUs are non-credit continuing education and therefore not transferrable as academic credit.)
Amanda Johnston earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine. She is the author of two chapbooks, GUAP and Lock & Key, and the full-length collection Another Way to Say Enter. Her work has appeared in numerous online and print publications, among them, Callaloo, Poetry Magazine, Puerto del Sol, Muzzle, and the anthologies, Furious Flower: Seeding the Future of African American Poetry and Women of Resistance: Poems for a New Feminism. She has received fellowships, grants, and awards from Cave Canem Foundation, Hedgebrook, the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and the Austin International Poetry Festival. She is a member of the Affrilachian Poets, cofounder of Black Poets Speak Out, and founder of Torch Literary Arts. She teaches at the Stonecoast MFA program.
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 full scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due on October 11 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