Two Tuesdays | September 10 and 17, 2024 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm via Zoom

Narrative Poetry

Virtual with Jodie Hollander

Humans have long been attracted to the art of storytelling. One could say that our lives are composed of a series of different stories that we tell ourselves and/or one another. In this workshop, we'll look at this narrative art and how to effectively channel our experiences into powerful poetry. We'll study and discuss techniques for sound and crafting quality poetry. Then, through a series of writing prompts, we'll examine our own narratives and turn them into poems. This workshop will also consider tempo, pacing, and effective use of line breaks. No experience necessary!

• Learn new poetic terminology and techniques to improve your writing 
• Create narrative poetry through generative exercises
• Receive peer and instructor feedback on poem drafts

Jodie Hollander's work has appeared in journals such as The Poetry Review, Poetry Magazine, The Yale Review, The Harvard Review, Poetry, PN Review, The Kenyon Review, Poetry London, The Hudson Review, The Dark Horse, The New Criterion, The Rialto, Verse Daily, The Best Australian Poems of 2011, and The Best Australian Poems of 2015. Her debut full-length collection, My Dark Horses, was published by Liverpool University and Oxford University Press. Her second collection, Nocturne, was published with Liverpool & Oxford University Press in 2023, and longlisted for the Laurel Prize in nature writing. Hollander is the recipient of a MacDowell fellowship and a Fulbright fellowship in South Africa. She is also the originator of Poetry in the Parks in conjunction with several National Parks and Monuments in the United States. She currently lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.

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Two Saturdays | October 19 and 26 @ 9:30 - 11:30 am via Zoom

Found Footage: Writing Short Horror Stories in Borrowed Forms

Virtual with Lindsay King-Miller

Can you make a text message conversation terrifying? How about a grocery list? In this generative workshop, students will read, discuss, and write a variety of epistolary or "found footage" horror stories - that is, stories in borrowed forms. We will focus on very short fiction, mostly micro and flash length (under 1000 words), exploring techniques for creating tension in very few words. No experience necessary.

Walk away with:

• At least two new flash/micro fiction story drafts
• A deeper understanding of how to write compelling, (very) short fiction
• Techniques to discover horror fiction ideas in new and unexpected places

Lindsay King-Miller is the author of ASK A QUEER CHICK: A GUIDE TO SEX, LOVE, AND LIFE FOR GIRLS WHO DIG GIRLS (Plume, 2016) and THE Z WORD (Quirk, 2024). Her second novel, THIS IS MY BODY, is forthcoming from Quirk Books in fall 2025. She lives in Denver, CO, with her partner and two children.

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Four Tuesdays | October 8, 15, 22, & 29 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm via Zoom

Punch It Up: Writing Snappy, but Sincere, Satire

Virtual with Andrea Avery

In this workshop, we'll explore (and join) the rich tradition of writing satire as a gesture, not only of criticism, but of optimism! Through humor, keen observation, and nuanced storytelling, we will create satirical pieces (fiction or essay) that depict the world we want. In each meeting we'll closely analyze examples of the genre, and then we'll get to writing. Trying out techniques such as exaggeration, juxtaposition, irony, incongruity, and reversal, we'll determine how we can deploy them to speak truth to power, comment on social issues, illuminate the absurd (and the sublime) aspects of human nature, and maybe even change hearts and minds! By the end of the workshop, you'll leave with multiple short pieces of writing, affirming workshop feedback on a longer draft in progress*, a crowd-sourced list of recommendations for further reading or exploration, and ideas for places to share your satire once it's polished.

*If you so choose to offer a piece for workshop— you'll never be compelled to share against your will! 

Walk away with:

• Multiple completed short satirical technique sketches (e.g., character sketch, setting sketch, dialogue-driven scene)
• Peer and instructor feedback on a story manuscript
• A crowd-sourced list of suggestions for further reading and getting your work published

Andrea Avery is the author of Sonata: A Memoir of Pain and the Piano (Pegasus Books). Her short work has appeared in Ploughshares, Barrelhouse, CRAFT Literary, The Oxford American, Real Simple, and Erase the Patriarchy: An Anthology of Erasure Poetry (University of Hell Press) among other places. Her novella Visiting Composer will be published in 2025 as the winner of the Miami University Press Novella Contest. She holds a BA in music, an MFA in Creative Writing, and an Ed.D, all from Arizona State University. 

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Three Saturdays | November 2, 9 & 16 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm via Zoom

Kitchen Sink Poetry

Virtual with Jenny Benjamin

Through found, formal, and free verse, we will gain inspiration through poetic exploration by drawing from daily life and word play. With found poetry, we will create word lists and quote phrases from various texts to create original poems. With formal verse, we will read and discuss formal poetry and write responses. We will also take impromptu topics and write about them in poetic forms. Last, our free verse work will use everyday objects and natural elements to spark new ideas and poems. We'll use everything at our disposal, and yes, that includes the kitchen sink!

• Discover strategies for completing new poems
• Learn new poetic writing techniques to reinvigorate your work
• Use writing practices to explore new avenues of creativity in your poetry 

Jenny Benjamin is a writer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over fifty of her poems have appeared in literary journals such as DIAGRAM and Crab Orchard Review. Her novel, This Most Amazing, was published by Armida Books. She has two poetry chapbooks published, More Than a Box of Crayons (Finishing Line Press) and Midway (No Chair Press). Her poetry chapbook, Painted Women in the Walls, will be published by Finishing Line Press in January 2025.

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