Begins Monday, February 23, 2026 

Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Mondays, 6:30-8:30 PM EST

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Instructor Bio

Instructor Vanessa Jimenez Gabb is the author of the poetry collections Easy (forthcoming, Nightboat Books, 2027), Basic Needs (Rescue Press, 2021), and Images for Radical Politics (Rescue Press, 2016), which was the Editor's Pick in the 2015 Black Box Poetry Prize and which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Her work has been exhibited in the Poetry&: series at Dia: Chelsea and in publications including The Library of America's Latino Poets' Anthology, The Academy of American Poets' Poem-a-Day series, The Brooklyn Rail, The Poetry Project and PEN America. She is a graduate of Poly Prep Country Day School and Tufts University and received an MA in English from St. John's University and an MFA in Creative Writing - Poetry from CUNY Brooklyn College, where she was the recipient of the Himan Brown Award in Poetry.

Meet the Teaching Artist Interview

Clean Lines: Vanessa Jimenez Gabb on the Power of Simplicity in Poetry

Who is this class for?

This online poetry workshop is open to writers of all levels, especially those who are just starting in or returning to their writing practice. If you're looking to bring new, clarifying energy into your otherwise "noisy page," this introductory to intermediate class will help you discover the power of precision and simplicity in your work.

What to expect:

In this six-week foundational poetry workshop, you'll explore, be challenged by, and delight in the concept of "less is more" in your writing. Through an atmosphere of self-trust and mutual respect, you'll engage in weekly exercises, prompts, and workshopping sessions designed to help you discover the possibility of describing things as they exist—paring down your language and letting go of the figurative in favor of directness and distillation.

This creative writing workshop emphasizes the art of the "clean line" in contemporary poetry. You'll closely read and be guided by classic and contemporary poets who explore nuance through the simplicity of language, from William Carlos Williams to Rio Cortez. Each session begins with opening writing exercises to scaffold your poem-making, followed by craft discussions that examine not just simplicity and complexity, but also how dimension, nuance, gender, class, and race inform our poetic choices.

Students will participate in supportive workshop sessions where poems are discussed through verbal feedback, and you'll receive written feedback from the instructor on your work. This online writing class balances generative writing with thoughtful revision, helping you develop both new poems and the critical skills to refine them.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will generate two new poems through consistent opening and closing writing exercises meant to scaffold their poem-making. Students will also complete revisions of these poems. Feedback will include both verbal workshop discussion and written comments from the instructor.

Readings

Readings may include excerpts from William Carlos Williams' "The Red Wheelbarrow," "This Is Just to Say," and "Nantucket"; Gary Snyder's "Four Poems for Robyn"; Li-Young Lee's "Eating Alone"; Daisy Zamora's "Salvadoran Woman Killed on Filmore Street"; Eileen Myles' "Happiness"; and Rio Cortez's "Black Lead in a Nancy Meyer Film."

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Opening writing and discussion of "simplicity/complexity"; close reading of William Carlos Williams

Week 2: First poems due based on opening writing; workshopping

Week 3: Opening writing and discussion of dimension, nuance, gender, class, and race; close reading of Gary Snyder, Li-Young Lee, and Daisy Zamora

Week 4: Workshopping

Week 5: Opening writing and continued discussion from Week 4; close reading of remaining poems

Week 6: Discussion and practice of revision

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Generate two complete drafts of new poems
• Develop revision skills through guided practice
• Strengthen close reading abilities with classic and contemporary poetry
• Learn to give and receive constructive feedback in a workshop setting
• Build confidence and delight in your own writing practice

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

• Instructor: Vanessa Jimenez Gabb
• Begins Monday, February 23, 2026
• Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Mondays, 6:30-8:30 PM EST
• Tuition is $445 USD.