Writing Jericho Brown Poetry Workshop: Study & Write | Oct 2027 Online

Writing Jericho Brown Writing Workshop: Reading and Writing Alongside a Pulitzer Prize Winner with John Sibley Williams

Begins Monday, October 4, 2027
This is an 8-week asynchronous online poetry workshop via Wet Ink, with new lessons and assignments each week.

Please note: the class pauses the week of November 22 (Thanksgiving) and resumes Monday, November 29, for the final week.

Now Enrolling!

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.

Instructor John Sibley Williams is the author of nine poetry collections, including Scale Model of a Country at Dawn (Cider Press Review Poetry Award), The Drowning House (Elixir Press Poetry Award), As One Fire Consumes Another (Orison Poetry Prize), Skin Memory (Backwaters Prize, University of Nebraska Press), skycrape (WaterSedge Poetry Chapbook Contest), and Summon (JuxtaProse Chapbook Prize). His book Sky Burial: New & Selected Poems is forthcoming in translation from the Portuguese press do lado esquerdo. A thirty-five-time Pushcart nominee, John serves as editor of The Inflectionist Review and Poetry Editor at Kelson Books. Previous publishing credits include Best American Poetry, Yale Review, Verse Daily, North American Review, Prairie Schooner, and TriQuarterly.

Who is this class for?

This online poetry workshop is for poets and poetry lovers of all experience levels interested in diving deep into the rich, evocative work of one of America’s preeminent contemporary poets, Jericho Brown.

What to expect:

Jericho Brown is the author of The Tradition (Copper Canyon, 2019), for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, and the National Endowment for the Arts, and he is the winner of the Whiting Award. Brown’s first book, Please (New Issues, 2008), won the American Book Award. His second book, The New Testament (Copper Canyon, 2014), won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. His third collection, The Tradition, won the Paterson Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. His poems have appeared in The Bennington Review, Buzzfeed, Fence, jubilat, The New Republic, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, TIME, and several volumes of The Best American Poetry. He is the director of the Creative Writing Program and a professor at Emory University.

This in-depth writing workshop delves into a robust number of Brown’s poems, including his themes, style, and perspective, often focusing on identity, politics, and what it really means to be human. Using a variety of approaches, from poem analysis to dismantling themes and voice to lectures, writing activities, and sharing, the course approaches Brown’s work from many angles and pushes poets to actively engage with his powerful themes while drafting their own Brown-inspired poetry.

Each week of this online writing class brings video lectures, written lessons, active online group discussion, and frequent writing prompts, along with an opportunity to draft a new poem that engages directly with Brown’s work, putting his lessons into practice.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will draft one new poem each week (up to 200 words), sharing it with the group and the instructor in Wet Ink. Every submission receives written feedback from the instructor within 48 hours, along with peer feedback from classmates, giving you steady writing feedback across all eight teaching weeks of this creative writing course.

Readings

Readings may include poems from Jericho Brown’s The Tradition (Copper Canyon Press, 2019) and The New Testament (Copper Canyon Press, 2014). Students are encouraged, but not required, to purchase and read both books. John Sibley Williams also provides an extensive workbook with samples, information, tips, and prompts.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1 (begins October 4): Introduction to Jericho Brown’s life, writing, and themes; study of some of his most popular poems

Week 2 (begins October 11): Theme: The World of People in Brown’s work, part 1

Week 3 (begins October 18): Theme: The World of People in Brown’s work, part 2

Week 4 (begins October 25): Theme: The World of Culture and Politics, part 1

Week 5 (begins November 1): Theme: The World of Culture and Politics, part 2

Week 6 (begins November 8): Theme: The World of Pain…and of God, part 1

Week 7 (begins November 15): Theme: The World of Pain…and of God, part 2

No class the week of November 22 — Thanksgiving break. Class resumes Monday, November 29.

Week 8 (begins November 29): Focus on students’ writing, poem discussions, and critiques; discussion of Brown’s books as separate entities with unique themes and approaches

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Study a robust selection of Jericho Brown’s poems, from his most popular work to his individual collections
• Analyze Brown’s themes, style, voice, and perspective, including identity, politics, and what it means to be human
• Explore three worlds in his work: people; culture and politics; and pain and God
• Draft eight new Brown-inspired poems, one each week
• Receive written instructor feedback within 48 hours on every submission, plus peer feedback
• Understand Brown’s books as separate entities with unique themes and approaches

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

This class is asynchronous, meaning you complete the weekly assignments on your own schedule. There are no set meeting times to allow for greater participation; your cohort will consist of writers from different time zones, which allows for a wonderful diversity of voices.

Along with your weekly deadlines, there is plenty of interaction with the instructor and your peers within Wet Ink, our dedicated online classroom. Craft materials, lectures, reading assignments, and writing prompts are all available through the online classroom. Students also post work and provide and receive feedback in the online classroom.

You can finish the work as you see fit, week to week, which is perfect for any schedule. There are discussion questions each week inspired by the assigned readings and topics in the lecture notes. Students are encouraged to take these wherever they find most compelling and/or useful. The instructor engages with these discussions throughout the week, and you will receive feedback on all assigned writing activities.

HOW DOES WET INK WORK?

Wet Ink was built and designed specifically for online writing classes. Wet Ink is private, easy to use, and very interactive.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $545 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.