Creative Writing

Let’s Finish Your Poetry Book!

When we write poetry, we are often writing through our obsessions, and after a while we accumulate a stack of companionable poems. A challenging and seemingly insurmountable next step would be to gather your works into a book manuscript. This course will alleviate and demystify that process, and will guide you through crafting a full-length or chapbook-length poetry book. We will look at modern examples of poetry collections, gaining insight into the successes and difficulties of bringing a book together. Participants will be led through prompted writing exercises to work toward cohesion in their manuscripts. This course will also feature consultations on participant manuscripts at different stages. This is a discussion-driven course that focuses on the creation of new work and the culling of old. It’s a valuable class for intermediate and advanced writers with a project in mind, but is open to beginners who would like to understand how and why authors assemble their books.

This class will take place online, via Zoom. All students must be 18 years of age or older.