Let’s say you’re looking forward to a visit from your dear old Aunt Ida, but when she arrives, you’re disappointed by how tiresome and dull she is. Actually you’re disappointed in yourself: Aunt Ida has always been dull—why should this time be any different? Likewise, as writers, if we expect to succeed by working in the same way every time, no matter the subject, falling back on habitual patterns, we’re just inviting old Aunt Ida (bless her heart) for another visit. Even worse—we’re becoming her! As a teacher, I introduce writers to a multiplicity of practices for making discoveries on the page. But if I could only teach one, it would be “working against your drift.” Working against your drift is a dynamic practice that trains us to never be complacent, never settle for even a smart idea or clever move, never “get high off your own supply.” When we work against our drift, we adjust ourselves into greater precision and possibility, inviting the world’s subtlety and surprise onto the page. This workshop will include models, discussion and practices to help any writer, no matter the subject or genre. In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; offer feedback/first impressions on writing you produce in our weekend.

If you were to find out that the heart of your poem is different from your own heart, would you still care about it? What if your poem doubted, or contradicted, something you have always believed or held dear? What if it misbehaved in public, got arrested, called you in the middle of the night to come down and bail it out—would you show up for it? If your answer is yes, then this workshop is for you. We will spend part of each session revising work participants submit in advance, and the other part composing new poetry. Revising and composing—every writer loves one of these a lot more than the other, but both are vital to master. To compose we must walk in the dark, go through doorways, and surprise ourselves on the page. We must be willing to play like children and not care about sucking. To revise we must put ourselves in the shoes of the reader, and zero in on what the poem wants to say, which is seldom (if ever) what we want to say. We must be ruthless, willing to cut even our best line if it advances the poem. This workshop is for anyone with a love of poetry writing, hungry to stretch their craft and deepen their approach. In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; workshop writing you bring from home.