Getting to the Quick of It: Poetry Workshop

In The Quick of It , poet Eamon Grennan writes, “we have to be at home here no matter what.” Poetry is a way to bypass the superficial and dive straight into the heart—our own and our readers'.

Where else can we be so fully present? In this course, we will explore how poetry can help us approach subjects that feel extraordinary, intimate, or difficult.

We will read and write poems that are emotionally honest, even uncomfortably so.

We will study the fundamentals of craft such as image, the line break, and the volta, as well as key techniques: when to be direct vs. when to lean into metaphor; how to inhabit an unlikeable speaker; and the ethical questions that arise when writing about trauma.

Each student will receive feedback from both peers and the instructor on eight new poems.

Students will leave feeling more confident writing poems that take emotional risks and feel electric in their authenticity.