Spring Classes at Muse: Early bird ends soon!
Plus thinking about James Schuyler; and a course from Joanna starting tomorrow at writers.com!
Hello!
Happy end-of-February to you all. In honor of these last couple days of the month, I invite you to read “February” by James Schuyler. We had a really nice conversation about the poem in my last generative writing workshop. Here are some lines from it:
A gray hush
in which the boxy trucks roll up Second Avenue
into the sky. They're just
going over the hill.
The green leaves of the tulips on my desk
like grass light on flesh,
and a green-copper steeple
and streaks of cloud beginning to glow.
I can't get over
how it all works in together
I also showed students this painting by Jane Freilicher. I love how the image and the poem complement each other, and I love thinking about the relationships between visual art and writing, in general, and the ways they can inform each other in the practices of individuals and social groups. (For a great discussion of Jane Freilicher’s friendship with the New York School poets, see this blog post.)
If you’re interested in taking part in such discussions and doing some writing inspired by them, sign up for one (or both) of the remaining generative workshops in March or April. We’d love to have you!
Interested in taking a guided course from an accomplished writer and instructor this spring? Check out Nancy McCabe’s masterclass on essay, “Shapes of Stories” (open to all levels) or Megan Baxter’s short by powerful course on the collaged approach to memoir. (These classes are held asynchronously on the Wet Ink platform, meaning that you don’t need to be there at any specific time, but you will receive plenty of written feedback and discussion from instructor and peers. There will also be one optional Zoom meeting.)
Keep reading below for information about our great workshops!
Joanna
Spring Courses at Muse
Early bird prices through February 29th! Payment plans available. See current courses here.
Shapes of Stories
Instructor: Nancy McCabe
(guided: asynchronous on Wet Ink platform with one Zoom meeting)
This ten-week course will help you expand your writer’s tool kit by experimenting with a variety of structures—everything from straightforward, traditional presentations to offshoots of the lyric essay. (Begins April 28th)
Memoir in Collage
Instructor: Megan Baxter
(guided: asynchronous on Wet Ink platform with one Zoom meeting)
This five-week course provides a collaged approach to memoir composes a narrative through fragments and found items, building a story from many smaller pieces. (Begins April 28th)
Writing the Lyric Essay: When Poetry and Nonfiction Play
(self-guided: asynchronous group course on Wet Ink)
In this five-week course you will read and write lyric essays using techniques such as juxtaposition; collage; white space; attention to sound; and loose, associative thinking. (Opens March 25th)
Instructor: self-guided; course designed by Joanna Penn Cooper
Two additional upcoming courses from Joanna through writers.com:
Stringing the Beads: Craft Your Personal Essay, a 4-week asynchronous class with two optional Zoom meetings starts tomorrow Feb. 28th!
Write into Mystery: Writing Flash Memoir on Wonder and the Unexplained starts March 24th.
Wonderful poem, Joanna!