FRIDAYs, April 3rd-24th | What happens when you stop trying to “write a poem” and instead build a system that makes one?
In this four-week generative poetry class, we’ll explore instruction-based and constraint-driven poems—works that rely on procedures, limits, and formal systems rather than inspiration alone. By shifting the focus from expression to structure, writers often discover unexpected emotional and intellectual depth.
Each session introduces a different poetic system, studies how poets have used it, and then invites students to build their own. This class emphasizes experimentation, play, and accumulation. There is no workshop and no pressure to polish—only making.
Students will leave with multiple poem drafts, several reusable poetic systems, and a deeper understanding of how structure shapes meaning.