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.
Register here by January 1 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 Leader Robert Miltner & Molly Fuller, on the sounds of music in poetry
Robert Miltner, Emeritus Professor of creative writing and literature at Kent State University Stark, writes prose poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and intersectional hyrid forms. His books of poetry include Orpheus & Echo (in Triptych) (Etruscan Press), Eurydice Rising (Red Berry Editions), Imperative (All Nations Press) & Hotel Utopia (New Rivers Press).
Molly Fuller, PhD candidate at Kent State, is the author of Girls Forged by Lightning (All Nations Press)
February 10
10-12 Morning topic: craft books on poetry writing
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Mary Biddinger, on inviting strangeness into your poems
Mary Biddinger is Professor of English at the University of Akron, where she is on the faculty of the NEOMFA creative writing program and is poetry editor for the University of Akron Press. She is the author of eight books of poetry, including Department of Elegy and Partial Genius: Prose Poems (Black Lawrence Press).
March 12
10-12 Morning topic: journals, submissions
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Steve Reese, on abstract vs. concrete in poetic language
Retired professor of English from Youngstown State, Steve Reese has published three poetry collections including American Dervish (Salmon), and Excentrica: Notes on the Text (BlazeVOX) and two volumes of translation, Synergos (Etruscan; poems of Roberto Manzano) and Womanlands (Verbum, Spain; poems of Diana María Ivizate González).
April 9
10-12 Morning topic: chapbooks
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Marion Boyer, on revision
Marion Boyer, Professor Emeritus of Kalamazoo Community College, is the author of four poetry collections including The Sea Was Never Far (Main Street Rag) and The Clock of the Long Now (Mayapple Press)
May 14
10-12 Morning topic: full-length books
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Barbara Sabol, on beginnings and endings
Barbara Sabol is the author of Imagine a Town (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions) and Solitary Spin (Main Street Rag)
June 11
10-12 Morning topic: residencies, contests, retreats, conferences
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Allison Pitinii Davis, on linebreaks
Allison Pitinii Davis has a PhD in poetics from the University of Tennessee and is the author of Line Study of a Motel Clerk
July 9
10-12 Morning topic: creating a workshop group
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader Diane Kendig, on time
Diane Kendig has taught in academic, community and prison settings. Her poetry collections include Woman with a Fan: On Maria Blanchard (Shanti Arts) and Prison Terms (Main Street Rag).
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
Susan Grimm is the author of Lake Erie Blue (BkMk Press) and editor of Ordering the Storm: How to Put Together a Book of Poems (Cleveland State University Poetry Center).
September 10
10-12 Morning topic: trade magazines
1-4 Guest Workshop Leader David Hassler, on finding the hidden energy in language
David Hassler, director of the Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University, is the author of two books of poems, including Red Kimono, Yellow Barn, for which he was awarded Ohio Poet of the Year 2006. He is co-editor of Speak a Powerful Magic: Ten Years of the Traveling Stanzas Poetry Project.
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: A recent 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: What is the 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.
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