The Poetry Workshop

Lesson 1: What is Poetry?

I’ve been teaching in a couple of MFA programs since 2015. Typically, I focus on fiction—horror, science fiction, and fantasy—but I also teach my first love: poetry.

We've all written poems at one point or another, whether for a school assignment or a confessional after a breakup. Still, at some point, we either lost motivation, became disinterested in the craft, or had someone ruin poetry for us. It’s a story as old as time and one I frequently hear. What’s even more disheartening to hear is the line: no one cares about poetry, so why write it?

I’m here to say, I see you, I understand you…but you’re wrong.

Bold move, am I right?

Passive aggressiveness aside, poetry can be so much more than counting syllables, waxing and waning academically, or trying to write in a highfalutin style where neither you nor anyone else knows what you’re saying. I firmly believe that poetry can be and often is everything, and while that may sound pretentious, I’m hoping you’ll stick around with me on this journey to discover what I mean.