The love poem, like love, is inexhaustible: there's always another way to say what amounts to I love you, there's always another time someone will want to hear it. Yet for all its variousness, the love poem toes a particularly risky line between smitten and corny. So personal, yet so generic. So easy to cliché and get wrong.

 

This workshop is designed for poets who'd like to get it right——and who'd like to surprise* their sweetheart** with a love poem*** this Valentine's Day. At our first session, we'll look at a range of classic and contemporary love poems, discuss how each manages to render romance in unexpected and memorable ways, and generate material for new poems through a variety of prompts. Our second session is dedicated to feedback, calling out cringe (respectfully), and making sure passion is met with precision. Finally, participants have the option to register for a third, private session with me, where we'll work through remaining concerns and final edits.

 

*Or: Register your sweetheart and make them write you a love poem. Surprise!

 

**Or: Whoever you want! While the readings for this workshop will focus on dynamics of romantic love, participants are more than welcome to write (and workshop) love poems for their friends, communities, or selves. The same principles apply.

 

***Or: Never send it——just get it out! And perhaps publish it in your favorite independent literary journal. And then send them the link from an alt. "Is this about you?" Surprise!

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schedule

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Week 1: Write / from the heart

 

Week 2: Revise / out the cringe

 

Week 3 (optional): Finish / one-on-one editing with me

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takeaways

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- Discover new love poems and/or fall deeper in love with familiar ones by reading a selection by classic and contemporary poets

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- Learn new prompts and techniques for making poems

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- Discover new options for revision and become a more sensitive editor by giving and receiving feedback during workshop

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- Leave with one workshopped poem——a gift for someone special!

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- Build community with fellow poets, take risks together, and become more comfortable navigating workshop dynamics and discussion

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expectations

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Class meetings are two and a half hours. You will be expected to read a small selection of poems ahead of our first meeting. For our second meeting, you will be expected to submit one poem to be workshopped and give written feedback your peers' submissions ahead of class time. Depending on how quickly you read and write, the time commitment for this workshop outside of class will be about two or three hours per week.