The Urgent Poem: Cultivating Immediacy

Class Description

Writing about a poem she claims is the central poem of her own writing life, Marie Howe writes that this perfect poem is an experience. It’s happening to the poet as he writes it ─ not a record of an experience, not a memory ─ the experience is occurring to him word by word ─ a stepping into space without a rope. She learned to import that urgency into her own work and you too can learn how to convey immediacy from robust poets like Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Ross Gay, Ada Limon, and Danez Smith. We’ll do strategic generating to find strong touchstone topics for you and we’ll investigate the craft of writing to convey a rooted present.

Expect to leave with many starter sprouts and five techniques for bringing energy to your poems.

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.