“Instead of boxing you in, prose poetry opens doors you didn’t even know existed,” says instructor John Sibley Williams. “Not flash fiction, not pure poetry, and definitely not your typical memoir or short story—the prose poem breaks all the rules with flair and freedom. It’s a space for you to be completely yourself—honest or playful, serious or sly—and to stumble into truths or adventures you didn’t see coming.”
In this 3-week class, we’ll read the work of Joy Harjo, Robert Bly, Camille Dungy, and other inspiring voices, discovering what makes their prose poems tick. Through prompted writing exercises, we’ll experiment with blending traditional and surreal narratives and investigate how form and flow enhance the impact of your words. Each session will also offer opportunities to share work and receive feedback from John and the group.
By the end of the class, you'll have sharpened your poetic instincts and drafted a few new prose poems embodying diverse styles and voices. Also, you’ll leave with a newfound confidence to keep pushing boundaries in your writing practice.
About The Writing Salon's Online Zoom Classes
You will be able to participate in live class meetings via Zoom videoconference. To attend classes, you'll need a phone, tablet or computer and access to the internet. You can participate in the class from wherever you'd like, whether on your living room couch or in your office. Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about Zoom and your remote class. If you have any questions about remote learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.
John Sibley Williams is the author of nine poetry collections, including Scale Model of a Country at Dawn (Cider Press Review Poetry Award), The Drowning House (Elixir Press Poetry Award), As One Fire Consumes Another (Orison Poetry Prize), Skin Memory (Backwaters Prize, University of Nebraska Press), skycrape (WaterSedge Poetry Chapbook Contest), and Summon (JuxtaProse Chapbook Prize). His book Sky Burial: New & Selected Poems is forthcoming in translation from the Portuguese press do lado esquerdo. A thirty-five-time Pushcart nominee, John serves as editor of The Inflectionist Review, Poetry Editor at Kelson Books, and founder of the Caesura Poetry Workshop series. Previous publishing credits include Best American Poetry, Yale Review, Verse Daily, North American Review, Prairie Schooner, and TriQuarterly.
- Live Zoom Meeting: Saturday, September 27, 10:30am-1:00pm
- Live Zoom Meeting: Saturday, October 04, 10:30am-1:00pm
- Live Zoom Meeting: Saturday, October 11, 10:30am-1:00pm