Writing Mary Oliver — 6-Week Online Poetry Workshop with Lauren Davis Starts Sunday, May 2nd, 2027
Writing Mary Oliver: Online Poetry Workshop | May 2027
Writing Mary Oliver: An Asynchronous Poetry Workshop with Lauren Davis
Begins Sunday, May 2, 2027
Now Enrolling!
Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.
Instructor Lauren Davis is the author of the short story collection The Nothing (YesYes Books), the poetry collection Home Beneath the Church (Fernwood Press), the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize short-listed When I Drowned (Kelsay Books), and the chapbooks Each Wild Thing's Consent (Poetry Wolf Press), The Missing Ones (Winter Texts), and Sivvy (Whittle Micro-Press). She holds an MFA from the Bennington College Writing Seminars. She is a former Editor in Residence at The Puritan's Town Crier, and she is the winner of the Landing Zone Magazine Flash Fiction Contest. Her stories, essays, poetry, interviews, and reviews have appeared in numerous literary publications and anthologies, including Prairie Schooner, Spillway, Poet Lore, Ibbetson Street, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere.
Meet the Teaching Artist
Read In Mary Oliver's Footsteps: Finding Poetry in the Pause, an interview with Lauren on Writing Mary Oliver.
Who is this class for?
This online poetry workshop is for writers at all levels who love Mary Oliver and want to write in conversation with her work. Whether you are new to poetry or returning to it, you will find prompts, discussion, and feedback designed to help you notice the world the way Oliver did and get those noticings on the page.
What to expect:
Mary Oliver's poetry lives on, blessing her readers with hope and tenderness. She was an "indefatigable guide to the natural world," wrote Maxine Kumin in the Women's Review of Books, "particularly to its lesser-known aspects." The Poetry Foundation celebrates Oliver as a prolific writer of poetry and prose whose main themes focused on the intersection between the human and the natural world and the limits of human consciousness and language in articulating such a meeting.
During this six-week online writing class, you will receive a variety of writing prompts inspired by Oliver's work. Together we will explore Oliver's writing advice and craft, read and discuss her poems, and share new work in a supportive peer workshop.
Note: Our peer workshop will utilize strict deadlines as a courtesy to ensure all participants have the same amount of time to participate and provide feedback to each other during the six weeks we are working together.
What are the writing goals?
In this course, students will write up to fifteen new poems inspired by Oliver's writing, turning in one poem per week in Weeks Two through Five. Students will receive both instructor and peer feedback on four poems, and will leave with a deeper appreciation of Oliver's poetry and a handful of newly written and workshopped poems.
COURSE OUTLINE
- Week One: An Introduction to Mary Oliver's Work / Writing Prompts
- Week Two: Readings and Discussion / Writing Prompts / Turn in Poem
- Week Three: Readings and Discussion / Writing Prompts / Turn in Poem / Provide Feedback
- Week Four: Readings and Discussion / Writing Prompts / Turn in Poem / Provide Feedback
- Week Five: Readings and Discussion / Writing Prompts / Turn in Poem / Provide Feedback
- Week Six: Readings and Discussion / Provide Feedback
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
- Explore Oliver's writing advice and habits.
- Read and discuss Oliver's poetry.
- Create up to 15 new poems.
- Receive private instructor feedback on four poems.
- Receive and give peer feedback on four poems.
TESTIMONIALS:
"This class exceeded my expectations. I loved all of the creative exercises we were given. I felt like I learned so much in a short amount of time." — Former Student
"I loved this class, particularly Lauren's suggestions to revise, break apart, and rethink words." — Former Student
"I'm so happy I signed up for this class. My favorite parts were Lauren's suggestions for intensive practice and her unusual revision techniques." — Former Student
"I loved Lauren's Break Your Poem class, and I found her ideas on rewriting your poem as a lipogram and fitting my poem into another poet's created form." — Former Student
"This class totally exceeded my expectations. Now I have so many more tools as a poet. I would highly recommend this class." — Former Student
"I loved how the exercises built on each other, and had potential to be blended. Five of five stars." — Former Student
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 $445 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.