A Poetry Workshop
Level: All Levels
Poetry is known for its economy of language, but even over the course of a very short poem, something changes—the reader arrives at a place that is far from where they began.
This generative workshop will ask participants to consider how poems turn in sometimes striking and unexpected ways. For new and experienced poets alike, this class will offer a new lens for looking at poems and new techniques to push us beyond our comfort zones. In a supportive environment, we’ll read and discuss poems, paying close attention to their structures and the ways in which they shift. Through writing exercises and prompts, we will then use these master examples as models to write our own first drafts of future poems.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online, using the video meeting platform 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, August 5, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, MWPA staff will offer a test session on Zoom. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the test session, which usually takes only 5-10 minutes, 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.
Jacques J. Rancourt is the author of two full-length poetry collections, Brocken Spectre (Alice James Books Award Editors’ Choice, forthcoming from Alice James Books in 2021) and Novena (selected by Hadara Bar-Nadav as the winner of the Lena-Miles Wever Todd prize, Pleiades Press, 2017), as well as a chapbook, In the Time of PrEP (Chad Walsh Chapbook Series, Beloit Poetry Journal, 2018). His poems have appeared in the Boston Review, Georgia Review, Kenyon Review, Missouri Review, New England Review, Ploughshares, Southern Review, and Virginia Quarterly Review, among others. His work has been featured on Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, From the Fishouse, San Francisco Chronicle, Best of the Net, and the Best New Poets anthology. He has held poetry fellowships, residencies, and scholarships from the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and Stanford University, where he was a Wallace Stegner Fellow. Born and raised in rural Maine, he lives now in San Francisco.
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 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. Please note that mail delivery to the MWPA office is currently experiencing extensive delays, so please email hannah@mainewriters.org first if you would like to register by mail.
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 July 26 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