Hi! I hope you’re having a nice quiet Memorial Day. I hope you did nothing and spent no money, but sat on a chaise lounge outdoors and stared at clouds for a long time. And maybe ate some grilled food.
A handful of people have come to me with questions about poetry/writing workshops, and generally those questions fall into two categories. They’re “Is this worth it?” questions and “Where do I get started?” questions.
Question One: Is this worth it?
I have found workshops (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, hybrid) are especially helpful, and thus “worth it,” under certain circumstances. If the class/workshop is affordable or free, it is usually worth my time. If it’s a longer workshop, and I can attend the whole thing or every session, it’s worth it. I’m remembering one workshop, which I did through the now-defunct program through publisher Catapult. It was a full week long and while I learned a lot from it, I definitely didn’t get my money’s worth, even with financial aid, because I had to skip several sessions due to work. If you don’t have the time to put in the work, do the reading, and take good notes, a workshop will not be helpful.
Once money/time is sorted, these are the questions I think can help you determine if a workshop is worth your investment.
Is it being led by someone I want to learn from? Not just someone notable/famous, but someone who is great at something you’d like to learn to do well, or someone whose writing style resonates with you.
Is it a structure I will find helpful? There are some workshops where everyone submits pages every class and then it’s hours of round-robin notes. There are some that divide time between notes and readings/lectures. Learn about the structure before you enroll, if possible.
Is there a good gimmick? Okay, this one might raise eyebrows. But some of the best classes/workshops I’ve ever taken include a “gimmick.” Word West is the best at this – I cannot believe how a Wes Anderson-themed writing workshop improved my writing. I regret not taking the country-music-inspired class.
Is it recorded? If you’re sitting in on an all-evening class, or a workshop where every session is hours long, find out if it’s going to be recorded, or if a transcript will be made available.
Does it relate to a project I’m working on right now? Especially if you’re new to workshops and classes, it’s good to start with an idea or a work-in-progress. If you’re trying to start your novel but only have ideas/outlines, look for generative workshops; if you have a bunch of NaPoWriMo poems you want to whip into shape, look for a workshop that meets weekly.
Question Two: Where do I get started?
These are just a bunch of workshop resources. Just links! That’s it! Almost every single one of these includes financial aid options. I put a little ($) by the ones where I, personally, have received a discount or financial aid. In many of these cases, I got to attend for free. I’ve attended workshops at each of these unless otherwise noted. All of these have virtual options1. Most of them offer a mix of poetry/other mediums.
Brooklyn Poets (have not attended yet but will do a “craft lab” in June) ($)
Hugo House (have not attended, but writers I’ve taken good classes with have taught here!)
Sundress Publications (I did my residency at SAFTA; my friend Marah leads Poetry Xfit)
Center for Fiction (have not attended – mainly because nobody ever responded to my emails about financial aid!!! – but want to based on my friend Elizabeth’s reccs)
Word West Press ($)
Shipman Agency ($)
Barrelhouse Mag (I attended their awesome virtual conference in 2021)
Shameless plug! I also teach a very, very, very entry-level, casual workshop, affectionately nicknamed Poetry for Cowards. If you want somebody to lead a laid-back 90-minute workshop for your book club/your volleyball team/the neighbor’s youth group/your dad’s friends, let me know!
Next week I’ll be back with more prompts – and some thoughts on another poetry book I’ve been reading recently.