Class

Revision Honeymoon

"Ah, summer... pool parties, BBQs, fireworks, and ... revision?” It's natural to see revision as a chore, something that doesn't belong on our summer vacation or with a cocktail after work. But that doesn't have to be true! In this class, we’ll approach the exertion of revision with positivity, seeing it as a gift to ourselves: an assertion of our belief in the "good bones" of our poems, and a toolbox for building those bones into something publishable (right on time for summer poetry contests!).

You’ll receive targeted revision prompts, ranging from line-level to big-picture; emotional center to prosody; action to imagery to argument. Every prompt will be accompanied by 2 relevant readings.

Poets we'll read for craft-based inspiration include Terrance Hayes, Taneum Bambrick, Kate Gaskin, Adam Zagajewski, Devin Walker-Figueroa, Jericho Brown, and Mary Jo Salter, among others.

Students will leave with six revised pieces, i.e. a packet's worth (or two) of poems to send to magazines.

Open to all levels of poetry student, but best-suited to students who have published once or twice and are currently compiling a first chapbook or full-length manuscript.

Please email [email protected] at least two to three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this class. PLEASE NOTE: the elevator in Open Book will be unavailable for use from July - August 2025 due to modernization. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.