Lit Youngstown is offering a monthly, in-depth poetry writing workshop from January to September, 2022. Each participant will set their own goals for writing, publishing and participating in other opportunities in the literary community. Workshop leaders will offer a variety of topics and influences.
The workshops will meet from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month (after January's session on the 15th), in Lit Youngstown's office at St. John's Episcopal Church, 323 Wick Ave. The course cost is $200 per participant; the course will run when we reach a minimum of ten participants.
We will continue to build the schedule. Register here to save a seat. FAQ below the schedule. Please reach out with any other questions: LitYoungstown@gmail.com.
January 15
10-12 Morning topic: contemporary poetry books
1-4 Guest Workshop Leaders Robert Miltner & Molly Fuller, on the sounds of music in poetry
February 12
10-12 Morning topic: poetry-writing craft books
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Mary Biddinger, on inviting strangeness into your poems
March 12
10-12 Morning topic: journals, submissions
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Steve Reese, on abstract vs. concrete in poetic language
April 9
10-12 Morning topic: chapbooks
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Marion Boyer, on revision
May 14
10-12 Morning topic: full-length books
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Barbara Sabol, on beginnings and endings
June 11
10-12 Morning topic: residencies, contests, retreats, conferences
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Allison Pitinii Davis, on linebreaks
July 9
10-12 Morning topic: creating a workshop group
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Diane Kending, on time
August 13
10-12 Morning topic: performance reading
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Susan Grimm, on how the poem happens: thinking about the parts and the whole
September 10
10-12 Morning topic: trade magazines
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader David Hassler on finding the hidden energy in language
FAQ
Q: I am unable to attend all of the sessions. Can I still register? Is it ok to only pay for the sessions I will attend?
A: Your registration fee is for the seat. We hope you will attend as many sessions as possible, but we will need your whole registration fee to run the program.
Q: Why so expensive? Most of Lit Youngstown’s programming is free or very affordable.
A: The community survey indicated that many local writers would like programming that offers depth, continuity and access to experienced writers. This program will be more expensive to run. We will offer you a payment plan option if that would be helpful. This registration fee is high for Lit Youngstown, but still very low for a typical workshop of this length and quality.
Q: Will there be sponsorships?
A: Once we know the program will have enough participants to run, we will offer a few need-based scholarship applications.
Q: What is the time commitment outside the workshop?
A: The commitment is to write one new poem per month. There will be optional opportunities for additional reading and research, depending on your time and interest.
Q: Is this only for experienced poets?
A: No. We are looking for participants of any experience level who will approach this workshop with commitment. We believe we are developing a forum that will allow everyone to receive high quality feedback on their work.
Q: Will you offer this next year?
A: No; if this year’s intensive is successful, we’ll rotate genres and return to poetry in a few years.