A 5-Week Online Poetry Workshop
Wednesdays: May 14 - June 11, 6-9 PM
When a poem takes a sudden leap somewhere new and unexpected, it’s exhilarating. A successful leap feels nothing short of magical, both wild and inevitable, like the poem was meant to go there all along. However, as surprising as such leaps are, they’re anything but random.
In this five-week class, we’ll explore what makes leaps succeed. Sometimes they use the logic of association; sometimes they work because of the music of their language; at other times they rely on a coherence of sensory details or of the speaker’s psychology. By observing and discussing these different ways of leaping, we’ll hone our own abilities to make precise, effective leaps that our readers will want to follow.
Participants will be assigned poems to read each week and should come to class prepared to discuss them. During the first three weeks, class time will be divided between discussion of the assigned readings and an array of generative writing exercises. Participants will also be given an optional prompt at the end of each class that builds on the writing exercises that took place in class that day, but no work will be collected until the final two weeks, when each participant will have the opportunity to workshop one poem.
This class is limited to 10 poets, and poets of all experience levels are welcome.
$275 Members/$475 Nonmembers
Andy Chen is a Taiwanese American poet and educator. The recipient of a Pushcart Prize and fellowships from Kundiman and the Bogliasco Foundation, he holds an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis. He is the 2024 winner of the Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest. His poems appear or are forthcoming in Ploughshares, New England Review, The Offing, Poetry Northwest, The Margins, Split Lip, and elsewhere, and his reviews appear in Hong Kong Review of Books, Hyphen, and Colorado Review. He teaches at John Burroughs School in St. Louis. To read more, visit heyandychen.com.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. 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 programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-200-7180 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 by May 1 at 9:00 a.m.
→ MORE INFORMATION
MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION