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Poetry Workshop in Philly


magnetic poetry

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This poetry workshop is run by my writing associates at Philadelphia Stories. If you are a writer in Philly, consider taking this course.

Philadelphia Stories Poetry Workshop: An 8-week workshop from the area’s popular literary magazine that offers writing tips, assignments, and peer critique.

Moderator: Eileen Moeller has an M.A. in Creative Writing from Syracuse University. Her poems have appeared in Melusine, The Wild, Umbrella, The Fox Chase Review, Comstock Review, Feminist Studies, The Paterson Literary Review, Caprice, Blue Fifth Review, and Philadelphia Stories, as well as in anthologies: Women.Period, Paterson: A Poet’s City, Cries of the Spirit: A Celebration of Women’s Spirituality, Claiming the Spirit Within: A Sourcebook of Women’s Poetry, Fine China: Twenty Years of Earth’s Daughters, and The Nerve: Writing Women of 1998. Her poem “Milk Time” recently won First Prize in The 2009 Allen Ginsberg Awards Contest, at Passaic County Community College. Two of her poems have also been chosen for inclusion in the next Best of Philadelphia Stories anthology. Eileen has a website: Body in Transit, at www.skinnycatdesign.co.uk/eileen/index2.html/ and a blog: And So I Sing: Poems and Iconography, at http://eileenmoeller.blogspot.com/

Fee: $125. Writing sample required (three poems).

Schedule: Monday, September 21-November 9, to run 8 consecutive Mondays, 8:00 – 9:30 pm

Location: Robin’s Moonstone, second floor of 110A S. 13th Street (convenient to parking and just 3 blocks from Suburban Station)

The Course: Each week Eileen will facilitate discussion and critique of poems written by three members of the group. All submissions must be posted by 5pm on Friday. Two submissions, regular critiques and attendance are mandatory for all students. The groups will communicate through Yahoo Groups (we’ll help you set this up).

The schedule is as follows:

* Monday 8-9:30pm: meeting at Robin’s Moonstone. Each meeting starts with a brief discussion of the previous week’s exemplary poem and writing assignment, and then the class will discuss and critiques each submission.

* Every Wednesday: A new exemplary poem and an accompanying writing assignment will be emailed to group members to help sharpen your writing skills and expand your writing toolbox.

* Every Friday by 5pm: Writers, signed up for the following week, will email me their submissions by 5pm, and I will post them on the website for the following Monday class.

Group members will download and print them out, read them, and write end comments before coming to workshop.

* Toward the end of each discussion and critique the writer will be asked to comment on his or her aims and intentions for the piece, and to ask any specific questions that have gone unanswered.

The Goal: To provide writing discussion and professional development, to increase our awareness of audience, and to help writers to improve and develop their work, through the peer-critique process. Writers of all experience levels are welcome. Online discussions throughout the week on Yahoo Groups are not limited to peer critiques about each other’s work, but can be about anything related to writing. Did a particular writing tip or assignment help you? Did you just read a great book or poem you want to recommend? The Philadelphia Stories Writer’s Group should aim to ecome an online community of writers sharing their passion for writing and reading.

For more information, please email christine@philadelphiastories.org

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Animated Play 16 December 2010, 4:19 am

    Is there a number I can call to talk to someone about this poetry class? I looked for one, but was unable to find anything. This class does look interesting and I’m curious in its details. I would greatly appreciate a response with a telephone number as soon as you have a chance. Thank you very much.
    Sincerely,
    Tyler

    • PurpleCar 16 December 2010, 7:05 am

      I don’t think there is another poetry workshop planned yet. This post is from
      August of 2009. Keep an eye on the http://www.philadelphiastories.org/ and this
      site for a new class. I’ll let you know when it comes up again. In the meantime,
      why not look into your local community college or your township’s adult school
      classes? Those are great places to get started with poetry. Another thing to do
      is to attend some readings and talk to the other guests about poetry workshops.
      Philadelphia Stories holds a few, and The Mad Poet’s Society holds a bunch
      around Philly. Check out their website at http://www.madpoetssociety.com/. I’m
      sure if you get yourself involved in the local poetry scene, someone will have
      the inside info on when the next great workshop is coming up. Good luck!

      And when you do have some poetry you are proud of, please consider submitting it
      for publication to Philadelphia Stories: http://www.philadelphiastories.org/ .
      I’m on the poetry review board, and we are always looking for new submissions,
      especially if the poems are about Philly.

      -Christine Cavalier