Wychwood Poetry Workshop

“Poetry: Navigating The Revision Process” is an affordable and engaging course offered by The Wychwood Poetry Workshop, that goes beyond revision basics. This seven-class course invites participants to examine approaches to revising poetry through in-depth analysis and review of matters relating to craft, including but not limited to: form, dictation, rhythm, sound, and line breaks. Poetry by renowned poets Ellen Bass, Billy Collins, William Carlos Williams, and Charles Wright with literary advice by writers Stephen Dobyns, Richard Hugo, and Denise Levertov among others, are a vital part of course content. Discussions on poetic techniques found in such poems reinforce concepts taught and the importance of literary form. Impressions: I found the instructor personable and thorough in her presentation style. I appreciated commentary being available by audio and transcription. The downloadable workbook is an excellent resource. Copies of course materials (poems, exercises) were clear and provided in sequence for ease of reference. The Ultimate Revision Checklist is succinct and a valuable revision guide. I highly recommend this course to poets seeking to strengthen their writing, independently edit, and create works with lasting impact. Lisa Reynolds-Jones

Returning to a poem that had been 'sitting' or 'fermenting' for at least a year, this course has been an invigorating yet, thoughtful return for an experienced poet familiar to its teachings, yet offering specific exercises organized and developed in a manner that is methodical, warm and inviting. Lost as to how to engage in a return to a poem, this workshop provided a special weekly format that was accessible, detailed, intricate and well explained with a gentle approach to the processes of analyzing, sifting, understanding, listening and revising written poems (raw) left in the attic of my mind. Softly blowing the dust off the work put aside, I can re-read, re-sound, re-view, re-turn to the words of an aforementioned inspiration and expand, compress, play with words, images, lines and poetic concepts for a richer engagement. Wychwood assisted this process imparting insightful knowledge of how I can compartmentalize and revise a poem into a wholeness composed of both old words and new refreshed.