Workshops & Classes
Stay tuned for information about upcoming workshops and classes! In 2019, we'll be offering manuscript consultations with our authors.
Past offerings
We're offering two Fall 2017 workshops set to begin in September taught by our Director of Studies, poet and professor Michael Collins. Courses fill quickly, so don't delay in registering.
ONLINE POETRY WORKSHOP: FALL FRESH START 2017
DESCRIPTION
The course is for beginner poets who would like to explore poetry for enjoyment and personal interest—along with anyone who would like to return to writing poetry after time away or just reboot their writing. It will primarily involve generating new poems. Participants will receive model poems with description of key themes and analysis, along with instructions for creating their own poems in response. We will write one new poem each week on a flexible, asynchronous schedule, meaning you will not have to log on at a particular time of the day or week. Participants will be asked to respond to teammates’ poems in structured, positive ways that will not require prior experience with poetry, and each poem written in the class will receive individual feedback from the instructor as well.
STRUCTURE
We will have eight one-week sessions that begin and end on Sunday. Each Sunday, you will receive a model poem with discussion and an exercise via email. During the following week, everyone will work on a poem. The class will be organized into teams, and everyone will send each poem to their team. The instructor will then provide instructions for teammates to respond to one another’s work, and will give feedback himself.
DATES
Sunday, October 1 through Sunday, November 19
REQUIREMENTS
A computer and internet connection, an email account, 3-5 hours a week, and a desire to explore poetry and your own creative process and unique voice.
COST & REGISTRATION
$200 by Friday, September 29. Register online here.
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Your instructor
Michael Collins , our Director of Studies, is a gifted teacher and poet, and the
coordinator of Why There Are Words-NYC. His poems have received Pushcart
Prize nominations and appeared in more than 70 journals and magazines. He is
the author of two full-length collections, Psalmandala and Appearances, and of
the chapbooks How to Sing when People Cut off your Head and Leave it
Floating in the Water and Harbor Mandala . He teaches creative and expository
writing at New York University and the Hudson Valley Writers’ Center.
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Contact
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INDIVIDUAL MENTORING FOR POETS
This individual mentorship is limited to six poets, and will consist of one-on-one exchanges biweekly for three months with poet, professor, and WTAW Director of Studies Michael Collins, beginning no earlier than September 30. The schedule will be determined once your application is accepted.
The simple application process involves sending in one Word or PDF document containing
• a brief letter of introduction of yourself
• a brief statement of what you hope to gain from this intensive
• a sample of 6 pages of poems (in standard manuscript format)
Materials must be submitted to mpcollins2@gmail.com no later than September 24. The application requires a $25 dollar fee, payable here. If your application is accepted, the $25 is deducted from your three-month tuition. If your application is not, you will be refunded the $25 fee. Please note: applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.
The mentorship will consist of six exchange packets every two weeks. Each submission packet may contain three poems, at any stage of development, along with requests for specific kinds of responses. Responses will be based individually upon those requests, and may also include relevant reading suggestions, discussion about writing process, guidance on submitting work, and so on. $1500. Once your application is approved you can pay for your mentorship here.
Former Students say…
“This class was an extremely positive experience and opened my eyes to a wider world of poetry and to new ways to approach my writing. It was specific to beginners; however, I would recommend it to writers of any level who want to expand their poetry writing skills. It was well worth the price. The class delivered on its goal of introducing various forms of poetry and it allowed me to explore them in my own writing. The class was well regimented with assignments and deadlines. We were kept on task and I accomplished a great deal of writing. Each assignment was clear and concise and offered a new challenge. Most importantly, the assignments were written in a way that I felt Michael Collins was speaking directly to me. That helped bridge the online divide. Also, he was always available for assistance and feedback.”
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"I had no idea what I was getting into when I signed up for Michael Collins’ online poetry workshop. But I am unbelievably grateful that I did. Throughout this six week course I was able to explore multiple styles, forms and themes in my poems. The feedback I received from both Michael and from the other poets was incredibly helpful, and allowed me to develop a better sense of critique when it comes to my own writing. Great class. Great teacher. Would recommend."
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"I have taken two classes with Michael Collins and benefited from both. His prompts are challenging and include poems new to me. I wrote outside my comfort zone for each class, which is what I was looking for. The tone of the instruction is friendly and not rigid. Also we ‘students’ are enriched by reading one another’s works, commenting and receiving comments. Recommended!"
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"Michael’s generative poetry class was exactly what I needed to jump-start my writing after a year’s absence from any creative work. I produced drafts of new poems and learned different ways of generating the work, ways that were foreign to what I considered my ‘process.’ Working in diverse ways led to new doors opening up in my mind—which is always my goal creatively. I’m really happy to have taken this class and definitely will be back for more!"
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