writing resources

 

 

 

 

 

OCTOBER - JUNE 2026

Yearlong in Poetry II: Advanced Craft (Zoom)

30 Sessions (10/7/26 - 6/16/27)
8-10 pm ET / 5-7 pm PT 

This advanced workshop invites you to move beyond the fundamentals into a richer exploration of poetic craft. Through our investigation of aesthetically diverse mentor texts, we’ll dig more deeply into metaphor, syntax, structure, tension, tone, image, music, and more. We’ll also spend some time investigating contemporary innovations with form, such as the burning haibun, the golden shovel, the duplex, and others.
While this class includes a regular workshop component, our primary focus is experimentation and pushing beyond our comfort zones as we generate new work. As such, our workshop will begin with the poet’s intent or ambition and specific questions, and we’ll shape our conversation around subsequent questions and thoughts on possibilities for expansion and revision. Each poet will workshop approximately every four to five weeks while developing new drafts inspired by our readings and discussions.
You’ll leave with a substantial packet of mentor poems to continue studying, a body of fresh work, and thoughtful feedback from your instructor and peers. Most importantly, you’ll leave with an expanded sense of possibility for your poetry and the confidence to pursue it.
 
 

SEPTEMBER 2026

Join me at Celia Bookshop in Swarthmore for dedicated writing time in community. Registration ticket includes a hot tea or coffee in the shop.

All writers welcome – creative, academic; beginner, intermediate, advanced.

Register here for September 18.

AUGUST 2026

Join me at Celia Bookshop in Swarthmore for dedicated writing time in community. Registration ticket includes a hot tea or coffee in the shop.

All writers welcome – creative, academic; beginner, intermediate, advanced.

Register here for August 18.

Eight Poems That Will Change Your Life (Zoom)
4 Wednesdays (7/15 - 8/5/26)
1-3 pm ET / 10 am - 12 pm PT 

Some poems stop us in our tracks. 
You know the ones. They seem to rearrange our molecules the first time we read them, settle into our bones over the ensuing days, and grow with us for years to come. Though they never change, we return to them again and again and learn something new each time. 
What makes these poems so memorable and, dare we say, life-changing? 
In this class, we’ll dive into enduring and powerful poems to see what they can teach us. In addition to poetry fundamentals—the lineation, enjambment, musicality, etc.—we’ll also look at how these poems approach their subject matter and, as Emily Dickinson said, “tell it slant.” Our mentor texts might include work by poets like Brigit Pegeen Kelly, Ilya Kaminsky, John Murillo, Rainer Maria Rilke, Claudia Rankine, and others.
And we’ll try some of these techniques ourselves, experimenting with prompts and adding to our poetry toolkit. 
You’ll leave with a number of fresh starts, a refined ability borrow from your favorite poets and poems, a deeper understanding of how craft creates impact, and an expanded sense of what poetry can do. 

JULY 2026

Join me at Celia Bookshop in Swarthmore for dedicated writing time in community. Registration ticket includes a hot tea or coffee in the shop.

All writers welcome – creative, academic; beginner, intermediate, advanced.

Register for 1, 2, or all 3 sessions.

July 14 | July 21 | July 28

spring 26

 Eight Poems That Will Change Your Life (Zoom)
4 Wednesdays (7/15 - 8/5/26)
1-3 pm ET / 10 am - 12 pm PT 

Writing about Art: Exploring Ekphrasis (in person)
Monday, July 27, 2026, 7-9 pm EST
Community Arts Center
414 Plush Mill Road
Wallingford, PA 19086

 

MAY 2026

Join me at Celia Bookshop in Swarthmore for dedicated writing time in community. Registration ticket includes a hot tea or coffee in the shop.

May 15 Co-Writing Collective

May 22 Co-Writing Collective

May 29 Co-Writing Collective

 

spring 26

UPCOMING ZOOM CLASSES
APR/MAY 2026


Writing Odes: Elevating the Everyday
The Frost Place
Saturday, April 11, 2026
12:30 ET - 2:30 ET

Feast of Forms (6 Tuesdays)
Stanford Continuing Studies Program
April 7- May 12, 2026
8:30 pm ET - 10:20 pm ET

Leaps & Swerves: Creating Surprise in Poetry
Hugo House
Saturday, May 9, 2026
1-4 pm ET

 

READING / EVENT

MONDAY 9/23/24  |  11:20 AM - 12:20 PM EST

 

IN CONVERSATION SERIES with Rutgers-Camden Writers House & The Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice

Reading, Q & A, Lunch - Free & open to the public

In-Person

Rutgers-Camden Writers House
305 Cooper St., Camden, NJ
Classroom 202

LEARN MORE
REGISTER HERE

VIRTUAL CLASS

TUES 10/1/24  |  8-10 PM EST

 

EVERYDAY CELEBRATIONS: CRAFTING THE CONTEMPORARY ODE

A generative writing class for all levels

Zoom

Register Here

VIRTUAL CLASS

TUESDAY 10/15/24  |  8-10 PM EST

 

WEAVING THE PERSONAL & THE POLITICAL: RICK BAROT’S THE GALLEONS

A generative writing class for all levels

Zoom

Register Here

READING / EVENT

FRIDAY 10/25/24  |  COMING SOON

 

MCNEESE MFA PROGRAM POETRY READING

Reading and Q & A

In-Person

Location
Coming Soon!

Learn More
FREE POETRY GUIDE

From Flat to Full-Bodied: 3 Steps to Stronger Sensory Details


Ready to make your writing more vivid, powerful, & memorable? This free guide will help you apply auditory, gustatory, olfactory, tactile, kinesthetic, & organic sensory details of many kinds to convey more with every line.
 

You’ll also get news about writing classes and coaching from writer & educator Dilruba Ahmed of The Writing Lab (you can unsubscribe anytime)