Sundays, Feb. 7-June 20 (6 meetings: 2/7, 2/28, 3/21, 4/25, 5/23, 6/20) 2:30 to 5 p.m. San Francisco
$335 members/$365 non-members

“Inspiration” wrote Madeleine L’Engle, “usually comes during work, rather than before it,” but dedicated time for writing is often the first thing sacrificed to the demands of a busy life. “Students at the Writing Salon often say that that a firm deadline or a community of other writers in which to share writing feels vital to their work,” says instructor Julie Bruck, “but that can be difficult to maintain with a packed schedule, especially after your 5 or 9 week class has ended.”

This poetry continuation class offers both structure and community for the long haul, and is designed for people who have previously taken the minimum of Julie’s 9-week “Fearless Poetry” workshop–or the equivalent– in poetry.

For six months, class will meet monthly for workshopping. Between classes, students will do take-home assignments, supplemented by scheduled group e-mail exchanges of poems, revisions and written responses to each other’s drafts. Says Julie, “The focus will be on keeping the playful, generative flame going–writing new work that surprises us–while c0ntinuing to work on revisions. There is no one size fits all approach to what sustains a writer’s practice, but this continuation class will offer an extended, supported, and realistic exploration of what true persistence can bring to bear. Expect some serious fun!”

Julie Bruck has taught at several Canadian universities, and was a resident faculty member at The Robert Frost Place. She has an MFA from Warren Wilson, fellowships from The MacDowell Colony and the Canada Council, and has published two collections, The Woman Downstairs (1993) and The End of Travel (1999). A third book is in the works. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Ploughshares, and Ms. New poems are forthcoming in The New Yorker and The Malahat Review. A Montreal native, she has lived in San Francisco for eleven years.

Read student testimonials for Julie HERE