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Get your free guide to effective use of sensory description so you can let your poems shine.


Get instant access to the free guide to help you write poems that are more vivid, powerful, and memorable.
 

MY POEMS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN

WHAT STUDENTS SAY ABOUT MY TEACHING

"I thought the poems you selected were illustrative; the prompts, well chosen - and they helped me begin some work I think I can use."


Gloria, Wayne, PA

"Thank you, Ruba, for such a full & well-planned lesson. You gave us so much to think about and absorb."


Ann Ellen, Greater Philadelphia
LEARN FROM THE FREE PDF!

Shift from procrastination (or perfectionism) to revision with skill and strategy.


This is your opportunity to revise with greater confidence, clarity, and creativity - without stalling or struggling alone. With a few key pointers, you can learn how to flesh out and deepen your poems - and experience the calm and confidence that comes from a clearer revision process.

This free PDF guide will help you take steps to...

  • vividly flesh out the physical contexts of your poems,
  • establish & complicate your poem's tone, &  
  • reveal your poem's chief sources of tension. 

You’ll learn to strategically apply sensory details of many kinds: auditory, gustatory, olfactory, tactile, kinesthetic (related to movement), & organic (conveying internal sensations, such as hunger or fear).

I'm So Ready!

✓ Clear 3-Step Process

Observe & reflect; examine the physical contexts; & consider the emotional contexts.

✓ Helpful “Sensory Detail” Chart

Identify how you’ve used sensory description and learn all the types of sensory details to leverage them in your revisions.

✓ Bonus Resources

Examine how experienced poets use sensory detail to establish both physical and emotional contexts in a poem.

"Discussing the poems in a small group was so useful and it was great to see what other people read from the poems. I also found the workshopping of individual poems (mine and others') extremely useful. I love how you make the group feel comfortable and I truly felt in community with the other writers!"

 

Yamini, Princeton Junction, NJ

"Thank you for this workshop! I appreciate YOUR willingness to facilitate & hold space for a conversation on complex & difficult topics. And I appreciate your teaching & feedback; it's sincere & real & substantive without being judgmental or critical. You meet us where we are & help us grow. And you keep bringing us back to the art & craft of poetry, which deepens my reading of poetry, & helps me feel like I can write it."

 

Cynthia, Seattle

"Ruba’s workshop struck the right balance between structure & open exchange...I found that the readings were well chosen, varied in both form & content, & brief enough to enable engagement during the allotted time. I’ll be returning to those pieces for inspiration in years to come."

 

Jenn, Collingswood, NJ

"I found the specific examples of the hermit crab poems very helpful. I was also surprised & intrigued that I could see the shell as armor to strap on, a way to venture into areas that may seem dangerous or risky to write about. All the exercises proved generative for me."

 

Ginny, Wayne, PA

Ready to harness sensory detail to help you revise with greater confidence and skill?


No need to continue struggling with your draft poems in isolation, confused and uncertain about how to strengthen your poems.