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Poetry Writing Level 1: 10-Week Workshop (Online)

Unleash the power of poetry as you learn to pack a maximum punch with a minimum of words. Discover specialized techniques, demands, and forms of poetry, and master the art of writing exquisite verses that captivate the soul. 

  • Beginner
  • 18 and older
  • $464
  • Earn 10% Rewards
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  • Online Classroom
  • 237 hours & 30 minutes over 10 sessions

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  • $464/person
  • 237 hours & 30 minutes over 10 sessions
  • Includes $25 Reg Fee
    Class accessible anytime within the session dates
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  • Tue, Aug 12 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Aug 19 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Aug 26 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Sep 02 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Sep 09 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Sep 16 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Sep 23 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Sep 30 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Oct 07 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Oct 14 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
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Class Description

Description

Poetry Writing I is a 10-week workshop, which includes lectures, exercises, and the critiquing of student projects. It’s for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.

Consider it the caviar of literature: tiny eggs with tremendous taste. Or the nitroglycerin: every drop explosive. Poetry's power has endured thousands of years, captivating the most passionate souls. If you hear mermaids singing or feel the winnowing wind or see the sun rising in ribbons, then you are one of these blissful few.

To write excellent poetry, you must learn the art of packing the maximum punch with a minimum of words. Here you will learn about the specialized techniques, demands, and forms of poetry, as well as how to market your work.

If you seek to write for publication or performance, yourself or the world, we’ll show you how to write exquisite poetry.

This course gives you a firm grounding in the basics of poetry craft and gets you writing one or two poems. Course components:

  • Lectures
  • Writing exercises
  • Workshopping of student projects (each student presenting work two times)
Online classes 
  • Week 1
    • Introduction to Poetry: What makes it poetry? Line breaks. Figurative language and imagery. Sound—rhythm, meter, rhyme. Free vs. form. Where to get inspiration.
  • Week 2
    • Line breaks: How line affects rhythm and sound. White space. Emotional impact.
  • Week 3
    • Figurative Language & Imagery: Figurative language—metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, synesthesia. Finding images. Bringing images to life.
  • Week 4
    • Sound: Rhythm. Meter. Rhyme. Repetition. Alliteration. Assonance. Consonance.
  • Week 5
    • Classic Forms: Sonnet. Sestina. Villanelle. Pantoum. Haiku. Haibun. Apostrophe. Narrative.
  • Week 6
    • Contemporary Forms: Prose poem. Found poetry. Persona. Ekphrasis. Narrative.
  • Week 7
    • Voice: Voice defined. Types of voice and vision. Finding your voice. Style. Digging deeper.
  • Week 8 
    • Imitation and Themes: Gaining inspiration and technique through imitation. Responding to themes. Drawing out your uniqueness.
  • Week 9
    • Revision: Stages of revision. Techniques for testing your work. The art of reduction. Knowing when it's done.
  • Week 10
    • Publication and the Poetry Scene: Finding homes for your work. The submission process. Participating in the poetry scene.

Note: Content may vary among individual classes.

About

  • The Online classes bring students from all over the globe to Gotham—New York City’s most famous writing school.
  • The Online classes happen asynchronously—not in “real time.” You can participate in class any time, day or night, but the classes advance week-by-week, and certain things should be accomplished within that week-long session.
  • You can take an Online writing class from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection. The majority of our Online students are located in the U.S. but we also draw students from practically every country in the world.
  • Tech support will be available.
  • Aside from the convenience of time and location, you have a record of everything that transpires in class, which you can print out and keep for future reference. (The material is text and image, not video.)

Remote Learning

This course is available for "remote" learning and will be available to anyone with access to an internet device with a microphone (this includes most models of computers, tablets). Classes will take place with a "Live" instructor at the date/times listed below.

Upon registration, the instructor will send along additional information about how to log-on and participate in the class.

Refund Policy

All Classes (except One-day and Zoom Intensives and Write-Ins):

  • For a refund or credit, contact us three business days or more before your class starts. You can either choose to hold a full credit with us good for one year on other Gotham classes OR you can opt for a refund less a $25 administrative fee and your $25 registration fee ($50 total).
  • If you need to withdraw after your class has started (or two business days before it starts), you won’t receive a refund, but you’re welcome to a Gotham credit less the price of Week 1 and your $25 registration fee, but we need to hear from you three business days or more before Week 2 meets for that to happen. After that point, no credits are available.

One-day and Zoom Intensives:

  • You may reschedule a One-day or Zoom Intensive one time, if you notify us two business days before the class begins. After that first reschedule, there is a $25 rescheduling fee.
  • If you notify us three business days or more before your class begins, rescheduling is free. If you notify us less than three business days before your class begins, there is a $25 rescheduling fee. If you don’t notify us until after your class begins, we cannot reschedule you.
  • You may get a refund (minus a $50 fee) if you notify us three business days or more before your class begins.

Write-Ins:

  • If you withdraw 1 business day or more before it begins, you’re welcome to a full credit good for one year toward another Write-In. No refunds are available.
  • If you simply don’t show up and don’t notify us in advance, you forfeit your money.

A few more things:

  • Credits are valid for one year and cannot be changed into refunds down the road.
  • Simply not attending class or notifying the instructor does not mean you've officially withdrawn.
  • Some exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis for medical emergencies with a doctor's note.
  • Refunds take up to six weeks to process.

Please understand, we can't issue a refund after classes have started, even if you miss your first class. Similarly, we can't offer you a credit one day before your second class or after that. We understand that other obligations get in the way of attending class, but these policies allow us to get other interested writers into class early enough to have a good experience, and this allows us to offer our classes at a reasonable price.

Important Notes:

  • Students are allowed to join a class in the second week.
  • Only those who pay the tuition in full can be guaranteed a place in class.
  • Class dates and times may be subject to change. A substitute may be assigned or make-up classes added to the end of the term.
  • Auditing and the recording of classes are not allowed.
  • For all classes, students receive a record of payment and registration.
  • Gotham reserves the right to remove any student at our discretion.
  • Gotham does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, socioeconomic status, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, or marital status.
  • Our courses are not intended to provide instruction that will result in the student's acquisition of occupational skills.

In any event where a customer wants to cancel their enrollment and is eligible for a full refund, a 5% processing fee will be deducted from the refund amount.

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Gotham Writers Workshop

Gotham Writers Workshop is a creative home in New
York City and Online where writers develop their craft and come together in the
spirit of discovery and fellowship. We’ve been teaching creative writing to
students since 1993.




We believe that everyone has a story to tell.
Indeed, many stories. Keep your...

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