Led by Joan Kwon Glass, author of NIGHT SWIM (Diode Editions, 2022) & three chapbooks including IF RUST CAN GROW ON THE MOON (Milk & Cake Press, 2022). She serves as poet laureate for Milford, CT & as Editor in Chief for Harbor Review. Joan’s poems have been published in or are forthcoming in Poetry Northwest, Ninth Letter, Rattle, Tahoma Literary Review, Prairie Schooner, Salamander, Asian American Writer’s Workshop, RHINO, Dialogist & elsewhere.

Learn more about Joan in our Meet the Teaching Artist series.

In her poem Morning in the Burned House, Margaret Atwood writes “In the burned house I am eating breakfast. / You understand: there is no house, there is no breakfast, / yet here I am.”

In this generative workshop, we will write poems about what and whom we have lost. What does grief teach us about our own humanity? How can we develop and utilize poetic voice/poetic forms in a way that fully realizes the potential of our grief journey?

In this generative workshop, we will read poets who have written memorable poems about grief and loss and respond to writing prompts inspired by these poems. Readings will include Victoria Chang, Danez Smith, Eugenia Leigh, Charles Simic and others.

Other sources of inspiration may include photographs, news articles, scientific discoveries & weather phenomena.

Poems, slideshow and resources will be provided by instructor.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week One: In our first session, we will read part of the essay “How to Write the Tough Stuff” by Jessica Handler, discuss the various types of grief and loss & brainstorm ideas to focus our writing for the course. We will identify potential animal guides through a meditative exercise, then respond to prompts inspired by Margaret Atwood, Jessica Cuello, Siarra Freeman, Tiana Nobile & Helen Pruitt Wallace.

Week Two: What do we feel compelled to write when it comes to being “left behind” by someone or something? How can we thread singular moments and images to develop connections to our own grief journeys? In this session, we will respond to prompts inspired by Andrea Gibson, Nicole Callihan & Peter Markus as well as abstract art, endangered plants and black holes.

Week Three: How can we harness form to convey grief? In this session we will focus on elegies, anti-elegies & obituaries (in the style of Victoria Chang), drawing inspiration from the work of Eugenia Leigh, Jamaica Baldwin, Rachel McKibbens and K. Iver. How can form help us to access our poetic voice and grief journeys in new ways?

Week Four: What does it mean to lean into grief work? And in doing so, where might we access portals to recovery? In this session we will focus on futures, both possible and imagined, drawing inspiration from work by Joseph Legaspi, Chen Chen & Tina Chang as well as historical events & cosmic phenomena.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Students will gain a deeper understanding of how to write from one's truth
• Students will generate a body of new work and have opportunities to share their work during class.
• Students will consider unexpected sources of inspiration in generating new work
• Students will harness and develop their own distinctive voice and narrative arcs within their writing

TESTIMONIALS:

“I was so fortunate to be able to take a generative poetry writing course with Joan Kwon Glass. Joan led a wonderful, dynamic discussion each week, provided thoughtful, insightful feedback on poems drafted during the course, and created a syllabus full of inspiring prompts and poems to spark new work. I hope to take another class with her -soon!” -Marceline White

“I have had a broad range of experience with all kinds of classes, programs, and collaborations where everyone brings something personally important to the table to make progress on. You provided a space that opened up more and more every session, and I believe this is in part due to the universal respect you gave each and every one of our works. You smoothly identified what each poem was asking for and went beyond to foster new possibilities for us as poets. This lead each of us to grow not only as writers, but as gardeners of each other’s poetry as well. By encouraging us to look beyond what we want out of poems, and instead delve into what the poetry wants itself, your course became a yoga of honoring what’s said and unsaid. Thank you.“ -Sam Canney

“I had the pleasure of taking Joan Kwon Glass’s Poetic Magic class in the fall of 2022. To say the experience was one of growth would be a gross understatement. In this generative workshop, I found a whole new way to look at my work while being exposed to new and exciting poems I had not yet discovered. This launched me into a writing frenzy, producing several poems I hope to see published in my newest collection! Not only was there ample time for writing, exploring others work, and workshop feedback, but Joan’s guidance as a patient and wise instructor with a humble and encouraging demeanor helped to elicit the best from each poem and poet. Her support and insight have been instrumental in my growth in the craft of poetry, and I can’t recommend her highly enough.“ -R.B. Simon, Author of The Good Truth and Not Just the Fire

“Joan is an incredibly kind, welcoming, and supportive teacher. Her classes are deeply engaging and well researched, and she introduces her students to a wide variety of poets and new and important work. Her generative prompts are inspiring, and she offers thoughtful and brilliant insight into work created in class.” -Jill Kitchen

"Joan Kwon Glass’s three-hour “New Woman Warrior Poetry” workshop was a transformative experience. She’s a warm, welcoming teacher who dives into the heart of poems; and every student seemed to come alive in the discussions. Joan’s imaginative prompts were fantastic— I’m still using them. Plus, her individual feedback was smart, unusually detailed and insightful. I recommend Joan’s workshop to poets at any stage of their writing career." -Carla Sarrett

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE: