Join The Poets Circle
Your invitation to a year of live conversations on the big questions that background our process as poets.
Poet to Poet is this newsletter. It is also a private community of practicing poets. I’m delighted to share that the Poet to Poet community membership has a new name—The Poets Circle.
The Poets Circle hosts twice monthly virtual conversations on the nuts and bolts of poetry-book development and the big questions that background our process, such as: How do we develop poetic voice? Is a thematic approach to writing helpful or harmful? How much should we consider audience when we write? Plus, in 2023, we will begin hosting live Q&As with guest authors and editors.
2023 Calendar at a Glance
JANUARY
Heard in the Herd: On Poetic Voice
Jan 4, 6-7pm MT & Jan 18, 12-1pm MT
What is poetic voice? How do we develop poetic voice and how does it evolve? How would we describe ours? What is shaping our voices, currently?
FEBRUARY
Infinite Doorways: On Knowing Your Generative Style
Feb 1, 6-7pm MT & Feb 15, 12-1pm MT
How do our poems emerge, generally? Which aspects of poetic writing—images, sounds, metaphors, etc—are most generative for you? What keeps you opening new doors?
MARCH
The Problem of Themes
March 1, 6-7pm MT & March 15, 12-1pm MT
Is a thematic approach helpful or harmful? To what extent should we consider themes in our work prior to putting a book together? How do themes emerge and play out in your work? How do themes manifest in the works of others?
APRIL
Weaving the Thread: On Coherence
Apr 5, 6-7pm MT & Apr 19, 12-1pm MT
How do we cultivate coherence in our work? How do the authors we admire create a sense of coherence in their work, across poems?
MAY
Flow & Modulation: On Variation
May 3, 6-7pm MT & May 17, 12-1pm MT
How do we invite variation into our work? How do the authors we admire work with the principle of variation?
JUNE
The Shapes of Things: Form
June 7, 6-7pm MT & June 21, 12-1pm MT
How do we work with the principle of form in our poems? Is form a generative force, a guiding principle for revision, or both? Which authors or examples of form draw you most, right now?
JULY
Iteration: Toward Completion
July 5, 6-7pm MT & July 19, 12-1pm MT
How do we know when a poem or a book is done? What does "complete" mean?
AUGUST
What About Audience?
Aug 2, 6-7pm MT & Aug 16, 12-1pm MT
How much do we consider audience while we're writing? How much should we consider it? Should we consider it at all?
SEPTEMBER
Social Media & Promoting Work
Sept 6, 6-7pm MT & Sept 20, 12-1pm MT
How do authors use social media to promote work? Is it necessary? Do poetry publishers look for authors will social media platforms? What are the alternatives to social media if you're not a fan of social platforms?
OCTOBER
The Ups & Downs of Publishing
Oct 4, 6-7pm MT & Oct 18, 12-1pm MT
Exploring strategies that help poets move gracefully with cycles of success and rejection. How much rejection is "normal"? Also, is the traditional publishing route (submitting to journals and presses) necessary to fulfilling our creative vision?
NOVEMBER
Shored Against Ruins: Fragments and False Starts
Nov 1, 6-7pm MT & Nov 15, 12-1pm MT
Is any draft or line ever truly a dead end? What to do with all of the poem drafts and and scraps of language that didn't make the cut for whatever reason.
DECEMBER
Creative Renewal
Dec 6, 6-7pm MT & Dec 13, 12-1pm MT
Honoring the practices, people, and approaches that helped us move forward this year, and identifying those that may serve our creative process in the next cycle. Embracing rest as part of the creative process.
Share our Calendar
Do you know a practicing poet who would enjoy these conversations? Forward this email to them! In 2023, I am happy to offer one-time guest passes. Just email me.