{"product_id":"against-the-grain-cliches-poetry-writing-workshop-online","title":"Against the Grain: Avoiding Clichés in Poetry — 2-Week Online Poetry Workshop with John Sibley Williams Starts Wednesday, February 17th, 2027","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAgainst the Grain Poetry Workshop: Avoid Clichés | Feb 2027 Online\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAgainst the Grain Writing Workshop: Avoiding Clichés in Poetry with John Sibley Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBegins Wednesday, February 17, 2027\u003cbr\u003eClass will meet for two sessions via Zoom on Wednesdays, February 17 and February 24, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e🌍 Class Times by Time Zone:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLos Angeles (PST): 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChicago (CST): 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew York (EST): 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNow Enrolling!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAny questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInstructor John Sibley Williams is the author of nine poetry collections, including \u003cem\u003eScale Model of a Country at Dawn\u003c\/em\u003e (Cider Press Review Poetry Award), \u003cem\u003eThe Drowning House\u003c\/em\u003e (Elixir Press Poetry Award), \u003cem\u003eAs One Fire Consumes Another\u003c\/em\u003e (Orison Poetry Prize), \u003cem\u003eSkin Memory\u003c\/em\u003e (Backwaters Prize, University of Nebraska Press), \u003cem\u003eskycrape\u003c\/em\u003e (WaterSedge Poetry Chapbook Contest), and \u003cem\u003eSummon\u003c\/em\u003e (JuxtaProse Chapbook Prize). His book \u003cem\u003eSky Burial: New \u0026amp; Selected Poems\u003c\/em\u003e is forthcoming in translation from the Portuguese press do lado esquerdo. A thirty-five-time Pushcart nominee, John serves as editor of \u003cem\u003eThe Inflectionist Review\u003c\/em\u003e and Poetry Editor at Kelson Books. Previous publishing credits include \u003cem\u003eBest American Poetry\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eYale Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eVerse Daily\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNorth American Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePrairie Schooner\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eTriQuarterly\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho is this class for?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis online poetry workshop is for poets of all levels who want their work to be consistently fresh, unique to their own perspective on the world, and free of “easy” or expected language. Whether you are just starting out or have been writing for years, you will leave with practical tools for sharper, more original poems.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat to expect:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDo you have a habit of using fairly obvious language or crafting expected imagery? Do you wonder if your verbs are doing enough work for the poem, or if your descriptors are too common? Do you find yourself including unnecessary details, or imagery that is too general, too vague, not truly defined? Cliché creeps into poetry because it’s easy. Writing is hard enough without interrogating every metaphor, every adjective, every simile, so we reach for the familiar because it’s safe: the borrowed line, the stand-in for something we’re too afraid or too tired to say.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we write poetry, we’re trying to summon what’s real. Not the postcard version of life, but the true layers behind what we observe (a limp bouquet, a coughing sob, a moth hammering a porch light) persuaded to stand still long enough to reveal their truth. A poem must earn this; it must split open the ordinary and let something emerge, fresh and alive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this interactive poetry writing workshop, John Sibley Williams provides detailed lists of ways to rejuvenate your language, especially your imagery, alongside a variety of cliché-busting exercises and prompts for generating vivid images, verbs, and descriptors. You’ll take part in active group discussions on what makes a cliché, the rare instances when one can enhance a poem, and how each poet personally avoids them. With regular prompts and revision time built into each session, this online writing class puts every lesson into practice as poets revise together, discuss changes, brainstorm approaches for one another’s poems, and strengthen their work for submission.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat are the writing goals?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this course, students will revise older poems to strengthen them and craft brand-new, cliché-busting language through a wide variety of writing prompts, working through twelve lessons across two sessions. Feedback happens live in this creative writing course, as poets revise together, discuss one another’s changes, and brainstorm alternatives. Group sharing in the second session is optional.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eReadings\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll materials are provided in an extensive handout and workbook with sample poems, information, tips, and prompts. No books are needed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCOURSE OUTLINE\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeek 1 (Wednesday, February 17):\u003c\/strong\u003e Defining and listing clichés; discussing students’ personal approaches to avoiding clichés; learning six techniques, each with specific prompt-based exercises.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeek 2 (Wednesday, February 24):\u003c\/strong\u003e Exploring and putting into practice six additional lessons, including prompt-based exercises; poem journaling; optional group sharing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCOURSE TAKEAWAYS:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRecognize clichés in your own drafts, from borrowed metaphors to imagery that is too general or vague\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLearn twelve techniques for generating fresh imagery, stronger verbs, and more precise descriptors\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUnderstand the rare instances when a cliché can be used deliberately to enhance a poem\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRevise older poems with live input from fellow poets and ready them for submission\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGenerate new, cliché-busting language through a wide variety of writing prompts\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKeep an extensive workbook of samples, tips, and prompts to use long after class ends\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePAYMENT OPTIONS:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTuition is $180 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInstructor: John Sibley Williams\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBegins Wednesday, February 17, 2027\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClass will meet for two sessions via Zoom on Wednesdays, February 17 and February 24, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTuition is $180 USD.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Writing Workshops Org","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50622708285688,"sku":null,"price":160.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0287\/3917\/4532\/files\/JohnSibleyWilliamsHeadshot.png?v=1746829020","url":"https:\/\/writingworkshops.com\/en-it\/products\/against-the-grain-cliches-poetry-writing-workshop-online","provider":"Writing Workshops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}