“…The main thing is to write
for the joy of it, cultivate a work lust…”
Seamus Heaney
I’m as passionate about teaching as I am about writing. It’s exciting to me at every stage, including manuscript consultations, classes and workshops.
Manuscript Consultations
Something magical happens when you gather a group of poems together. As you arrange and rearrange them, you begin to see patterns and shapes you never knew were there as you worked on single poems. I can help you discover the stories and arcs of groups of poems, and then to structure your manuscript so that those shapes best reveal themselves to readers.
Basic $500
One careful read-through with suggestions about strongest poems, possible shapes, and a detailed written account of what work I think is left to be done
Intermediate $1,000
The basic first step plus further work on shaping the manuscript, 3-4 email or zoom exchanges
As long as it takes $1500 +
As much time and work as it takes for you to feel as if your vision is clear on the page and there’s nothing left to be done
Classes
I’ll be offering classes on a wide range of topics, including craft and prosody, the work of specific poets, movements and time periods, translating poetry, and topics you propose. Some examples: The Music of the Free Verse Line, Book-length Poems, Poems of Wartime, Point of View in Poems. What would you like to study?
Each class will be 4 one-hour sessions, at a time to be determined.
$200 per person for a 4-week class, adjustable depending on the number of students
Workshops
Workshops are more about listening than about talking. Participants listen closely to the drafts they read, paying close attention to what’s already there and looking for clues about how it can move to the next draft. The poet whose work is being discussed has to listen carefully to what’s said about the draft they’ve written–something hard but crucial. The focus for everyone is the poem that’s emerging and what it might become. If you have a writing group or a few friends who want to meet, let me know. If you’re looking for a workshop to be part of, leave your contact information and I’ll put you on a list of people to bring together.
I’m happy to work one-on-one with students at any level, beginner through advanced, on elements of the craft of poetry, or on directed readings.
$250 per person for a 5-week workshop with 5 students, adjustable depending on the number of students
I’m happy to have a brief zoom call or phone call at no charge to discuss what you’d like to work on before you decide. Contact me.
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