Transcending the Self in Poems

Class Description

Often when you read a poem out loud, there's a moment when you're haunted--there's a ghost present with you, a ghost carried on the feeling of having in your mouth and your lungs and your brain words that came from someone else's body, someone else's experience, the ingrained rhythms of someone else's voice powered by someone else's breath. For a moment, you aren't you. Which is of course one of the great pleasures of poetry--how it makes you disappear.

How can we, as poets, trigger this feeling in our readers? In this three-hour seminar, through a series of generative prompts, we will begin to answer this question.

Poets of all levels welcome.

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.