Wednesdays

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Online

1/19, 1/26, 2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23, 3/2 & 3/9

Eight Sessions 

This course is offered online via the easy-to-use Zoom program.

Using model poems, writing prompts, and craft talks by expert poets, we will hone our understanding of poetic techniques such as descriptive details, diction, imagery, sound devices and figurative language. While this course should be especially useful for poets who want to write craftier poems, it is also intended to stimulate interest in those who enjoy reading and discussing poetry. The required text operates on the premise that the poem itself is the best teacher. We will test that theory together by sharing responses to the reading material and writing exercises. Two additional classes have been set aside for workshopping.    

Required Reading: The Strategic Poet: Honing the Craft, Diane Lockward.  [Terrapin Books, 2021]

Kate Sontag holds a Master’s Degree in Poetry from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She served as Visiting Professor at Ripon College from 2000-2015 and Adjunct Professor at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh from 1994-2000. Kate is a co-editor of the essay anthology After Confession: Poetry as Autobiography (Graywolf, 2001) and has published widely in poetry journals and anthologies. Her newest project is editing an anthology of poems about hair. Kate is the winner of the Ronald H. Bayes Poetry Prize from Sandhills Review and the Severy Excellence in Teaching Award from Ripon College.

Previous | Next