What if you didn’t have to know what the poem was about before you began?
In this generative poetry class, we’ll focus on writing into the unknown and letting the poem take shape through image, rhythm, and attention. Instead of trying to explain or control the work too early, we’ll stay close to what is happening on the page and follow it.
Each session will include short readings, guided prompts, and time to write. We’ll pay attention to how poems begin, how they move, and where they shift. We’ll work with repetition, silence, line, and pressure to see how a poem can hold meaning without needing to spell everything out.
This is not a critique-heavy workshop. Sharing is optional. The focus is on generating new work and building a practice you can return to.
Outcomes
• Write new poems and drafts each week
• Learn ways to begin without getting stuck
• Build momentum and consistency in your writing
• Develop a stronger sense of image, line, and movement
• Gain tools to stay with a poem without overexplaining
Sabina Khan-Ibarra is a Pashtun American writer based in Northern California. Her work has appeared in Anomaly Literary, SWWIM, and Rising Phoenix, and she has been recognized with fellowships from the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing and the Brainard Fellowship. She is Director of Rooted & Written at The Writers Grotto, a tuition-free writing fellowship supporting emerging writers. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and is currently working on a poetry collection and a novel.