What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life?
The world would split open
—Muriel Rukeyser, “Käthe Kollwitz”
What It Is
This is a six-week workshop course designed to support women in the work of telling their stories through the medium of poetry.
Participants will:
- be introduced to the role women’s poetry has played in the development of feminist thought
- read and discuss at least 14 selected poems by women poets including Aracelis Girmay, June Jordan, Margaret Atwood, Lucille Clifton, Ada Limón, and many others
- write five new poems using provided writing prompts
- receive and offer poetry feedback in a structured setting during two-and-half-hour weekly group sessions held over Discord
Assigned readings and poetry prompts will be roughly grouped around these topics:
Session 1: Women’s History & “Lost Mothers”
Session 2: Femaleness & Faith Practice
Session 3: Women’s Bodies & Sexuality
Session 4: Women Alone with Ourselves
Session 5: Relationships with Men
Session 6: Women & Children
Poetry workshop participation now includes access to our poetry community on Discord—a server for all past and present poetry workshop participants to share their new writing, publications, and general poeticizing even after their workshops come to an end.
This workshop will be capped at six participants, and there must be a minimum of three participants enrolled in order for it to go ahead. I will give you a 1-week notice via email if I need to cancel due to low enrollment, in which case you will of course be refunded in full.
A full refund (minus a $30 registration fee) will be given if you need to withdraw from the workshop at least three weeks before the first session. (After that time, I'll be unable to give you a refund since it will most likely be too late for me to fill your spot. However, you will be welcome to transfer your spot to a friend.)
Note: If necessary, you can pay for your registration in four installments. Select this option at checkout to learn more.
Who Is This Workshop For?
This workshop is for any woman interested in using poetry as a tool to explore women’s experiences and their own growing feminist consciousness. Beginning and established poets alike are welcome to sign up.
My Background in Poetry
My poetry has appeared in over fifty literary magazines, including Poetry Northwest, Beloit Poetry Journal, and Blue Earth Review, and has received awards in national and international competitions. I've been teaching regular poetry workshops since 2021, and my full-length poetry collection "Summer of the Oystercatchers" is forthcoming with Fernwood Press in early 2025. I'm also currently at work on a collection of prose poems reimagining women from history and literature, and am halfway through creating a slim illustrated volume of poetry and art exploring the subject of how the Divine appears in the world. You can see a full list of my poetry publications here.
Content Warning
Because questions of sexuality and sexual assault are central to the ways female identity has been shaped throughout history, these topics are likely to recur somewhat frequently in class discussions and will show up in some of our assigned readings. I know these are painful and fraught subjects for many and will seek to handle them gently, but I realize they may still be triggering for some participants.
Course Dates
Barring an unexpected emergency that may require the postponement of a session, the dates and times participants will need to be aware of are as follows:
May 01 (Wednesday) 7-9:30pm EDT: Workshop Session
May 04 (Saturday) 11pm EDT: first poem due to me via email
May 08 (Wednesday) 7-9:30pm EDT: Workshop Session
May 11 (Saturday) 11pm EDT: first poem due to me via email
May 15 (Wednesday) 7-9:30pm EDT: Workshop Session
May 18 (Saturday) 11pm EDT: first poem due to me via email
May 22 (Wednesday) 7-9:30pm EDT: Workshop Session
May 25 (Saturday) 11pm EDT: first poem due to me via email
May 29 (Wednesday) 7-9:30pm EDT: Workshop Session
June 01 (Saturday) 11pm EDT: first poem due to me via email
June 05 (Wednesday) 7-9:30pm EDT: Workshop Session