Featured Online Poetry Writing Workshop

Threading the Needle—Writing Thematic Poetry with Melanie Faith

START DATE: Friday, October 18, 2024

END DATE: Friday, November 15, 2024

DURATION: 4 weeks

LOCATION: Private Facebook group and email student provides when registering for the class.

FEEDBACK: Weekly instructor feedback of exercises.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Themes are important in vivid writing. Strong poetry often explores specific themes, from poems to celebrate special occasions and the natural world to poems that celebrate art and other beloved objects. In this class, students will read about 9 forms of poetry in our class texts (one craft book, How to Write Poetry: A Guided Journal of Prompts, and poetry books: Owls and Other Fantasies, The Optimist Shelters in Place, and Does It Look Like Her?, and one optional book: Letters to Joan), and then pick from the weekly themes to pen a poem for personalized instructor feedback on what is working well in their poem and what they might revisit/revise.

Weekly topics include: Nature Poetry, Occasional Poetry, Ekphrastic [Arts] Poetry, Found Poetry, Persona Poems, Narrative Poems, and more! There will also be an optional private class group for classmates to share shop talk and the instructor will provide posts of poetry-writing and literary links to inspire the writing process. Join us for this inspiring poetry course!

Melanie has always shown great insight into my work. Often times, she is able to pull out deeper meanings, that even I wasn't consciously aware of while writing. Her constructive criticism has moved my writing into new directions. I find that I feel more confident and prepared as a writer by having her constant editing eye. I respect that she critiques my poetry honestly, letting me know areas that are weak as well as strong points. I wouldn't be able to grow as a writer if she always told me my poems were great. It's from her perspective of my work that I grow. I enjoy learning through her and appreciate her sharing tricks of the trade that she learned in her masters program. I'm thankful to know Melanie and hope we remain friends and a poetry support system for the rest of our lives. She's the type of person and writer that anyone would feel lucky to know. She is a great mentor and holds a wealth of knowledge in the written language. Her achievements and constant pursuit as a writer inspire so many. Her determination and skill will go very far and I suspect she'll leave a lasting imprint in the written world. She already has. ~ Courtney Burger

Melanie has been a total joy as a teacher and guide. I found her feedback, critiques, and comments to be extraordinarily helpful and insightful. And the daily prompts and positive reinforcement made this writing class a wonderful experience! ~ Mary Purdy

Melanie’s class taught me economy of words by using strong verbs and nouns, implying and showing rather than telling, and exploring topics outside of my comfort zone. Her feedback is prompt, detailed and constructive. ~ Rajni Gupta

Melanie knows how to offer on-the-mark suggestions for writing improvement while also being extremely encouraging (and a joy to work with). I've taken many classes with her, including the flash class, and I plan on taking many more. ~ Marilyn Fahey

The course was great. I did not want it to end. I have taken several college level creative writing courses, as well as, attended many writer’s workshops, but I have enjoyed this course the most. I really appreciated that Melanie would also critique our re-writes which was very, very helpful. This course has really helped to motivate me creatively. ~ Barb Cramer

WEEKS AT A GLANCE:

Duration: (4 weeks) Friday, October 18, 2024 - Friday, November 15, 2024

Week One: Poetry of Place and Nature Poetry

Salerno & Habecker text reading assignment:

“Imagery,” pages 6-7, “Engaging the Senses,” pages 18-19, and “Poetry of Place,” pages 126-127.
Look up and read at least one of the poems listed on pages 6, 18, and 126.

Oliver reading assignment:

“The Kingfisher,” “Herons in Winter in the Frozen Marsh,” “The Loon on Oak-Head Pond,” “Little Owl Who Lives in the Orchard,” “Long Afternoon the Edge of Little Sister Pond,” and “Backyard.” Feel free to read any extra poems or essays in the book that might catch your fancy as well.

Writing assignment: Draft a poem of place or a nature poem to submit to the instructor for personalized feedback.

Week Two: Persona Poetry and Object Poetry

Salerno & Habecker text reading assignment:

“Persona,” pages 66-67, and “Object Poetry,” pages 139-140.
Look up and read at least one of the poems listed on pages 66 and 139.

Priest reading assignment:

Pick any 7 or more poems from the collection. Feel free to read any extra poems in the book that might catch your fancy as well.

Writing assignment: Draft your own persona, narrative, or object poem to submit to the instructor for personalized feedback.

Week Three: Ekphrastic [Arts] Poetry, Narrative Poetry, and Found Poetry

Salerno & Habecker text reading assignment:

“Narrative Impulse,” pages 84-85, “Ekphrastic Poetry,” pages 132-133, and “Found Poetry,” pages 150-151.
Look up and read at least one of the poems listed on pages 84, 132, and 150.

Faith reading assignment:

Pick any 7 or more poems from the collection. Feel free to read any extra poems in the book that might catch your fancy as well.

Optional/Further Reading: Blevins reading assignment:

Read 7 or more of the 20 poems in Letters to Joan, an ekphrastic collection about the art of Abstract Expressionist painter Joan Mitchell. Feel free to read any extra poems in the book that might catch your fancy as well.
Look up the paintings mentioned (After Joan Mitchell’s…) that coordinate with each poem you choose.

Writing assignment: Draft a poem about art [ekphrastic poetry], a narrative poem, or a found poem to submit to the instructor for personalized feedback.

Week Four: Poetry of Protest and Occasional Poetry

Salerno & Habecker text reading assignment:

“Poetry of Protest,” pages 121-122 and “Occasional Poetry,” pages 144-145.
Look up and read at least one of the poems listed on pages 121 and 144.
Also read “Revisiting Your Work” on pages 158-159.

Assignment: Draft a poem of protest or an occasional poem to submit to the instructor for personalized feedback. As an alternative assignment, you might instead choose to send a revision of one of the other three poems you’ve written or try an earlier week’s type of poetry you’d like to give a whirl. The choice is yours: submit one poem.

Materials needed:

How to Write Poetry: A Guided Journal with Prompts by Christopher Salerno & Kelsea Habecker (Rockridge 2020)
Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays by Mary Oliver (Beacon Press 2006)
Does It Look Like Her? by Melanie Faith (Girasole Press/Casa Editrice Girasoli 2024) available on Amazon, or (for signed copies) at the author’s Etsy store, Write Path Productions.
The Optimist Shelters in Place by Kimberly Ann Priest (Small Harbor Publishing 2022)
Optional/Further Reading: Letters to Joan by Allison Blevins (Lithic Press 2019)

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: Melanie Faith holds an MFA in Poetry from Queens University of Charlotte, NC. Her writing has been nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize. She’s worked as a freelance editor for over a decade. Her latest poetry collection, Does It Look Like Her?, about an artist, her son, and her teaching journeys, was published in 2024. Her full-length, historical poetry collection set in the 1918 flu epidemic, This Passing Fever, was published by Future Cycle Press. She’s also published a Regency novella (Uncial Press). Vine Leaves Press has published six of her writing craft books about such diverse topics as publishing, flash fiction, poetry, photography, teaching online, and writing a research book. In addition to numerous photography publications, her instructional articles about creative writing techniques have appeared in The Writer and Writers’ Journal, among others. To learn more about Melanie’s writing, teaching, and photography, please visit: www.melaniedfaith.com, Twitter: @writer_faith, and Instagram: @frompromisingtopublished99.

COST: $185, which includes personalized feedback on weekly poems and a private group for student interactions.

BUY NOW: Threading the Needle—Writing Thematic Poetry with Melanie Faith (4 weeks, starting 10/18/2024) Limit: 10 students. Early registration is recommended.

This class is now closed. Please check here for our current schedule.

Notes: Upon successful completion of payment, your name, email address, and contact info will be submitted to your instructor. She will contact you via email so you can get started.

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Additional Testimonials for Melanie Faith:

I took the nature writing class a few weeks ago and it was one of the best courses I've even taken. Melanie Faith is an excellent instructor. ~ Jean Forsythe

Your course has jump-started me back into writing. I have missed it. Thank you. ~ Melissa Healy

Melanie Faith’s “Spark and Sizzle Flash Fiction Class” lives up to its title. The sample stories provided were examples of good writing and served as models. Melanie’s prompts came at a rapid pace and kept my pen on the page every day. Her critique comments were sharp and encouraging and challenged me to be the best writer I could be. She is easily available for questions or discussions during and after her classes via her personal email. This is the third class I’ve taken with Melanie and I am looking forward to taking many more in the future. ~ Renee Cassese

I'm thankful to know Melanie and hope we remain friends and a poetry support system for the rest of our lives. She's the type of person and writer that anyone would feel lucky to know. She is a great mentor and holds a wealth of knowledge in the written language. Her achievements and constant pursuit as a writer inspire so many. Her determination and skill will go very far and I suspect she'll leave a lasting imprint in the written world. She already has. ~ Courtney Burger

Melanie demonstrates particular qualities in a writing teacher/coach that I would recommend for anyone looking for focused attention to help move their writing forward.

I had not taken an on-line course previously, and didn't know what to expect, but Melanie melted the distance, was always accessible, and never missed a beat with out on-line communication. I always felt like I had Melanie right here around my writing table, or knocking on my door saying—“I had a few thoughts..." She provided a wealth of resources and provided us with course materials that were tuned to our course level.

Her insight into my work, in terms of critique, were extremely thoughtful, thorough, and eye-opening. I feel that working with Melanie has allowed me to be braver with my writing and editing—as she was supportive of experimentation and taking chances with style, vocabulary, and theme. She provides serious critique in an atmosphere that, well, just makes me want to keep on writing!” ~ Mary Ellen Sanger

I have taken three courses from Melanie and in each course I grow tremendously as a writer. The texts she uses as well as the handouts and daily writing prompts all contribute to what she refers to as “the writing life” and in her courses that’s exactly what it becomes. Her comments on the pieces go way beyond grammar and punctuation. She delves into the content and clarifies what is good and what can be adjusted to make the piece stronger. I can tell she spends time reading what I write and is prompt in returning the assignments so I always have plenty of time for revision. She treats me, and everyone in the class, like a writer. Her classes are a joy. If there is a course offered by Melanie and I can fit it in, I always take it. ~ Holly Helscher

I have the normal anxiousness of sharing my work while so excited to have Melanie Faith’s critical eye read my writing. It is always reviewed with an eye to improvement and an eye to the thoughts the words contain. This is the first computer class I have ever taken and want to take many more. I also look forward to many more classes with Melanie Faith. ~ Benita Cervantes

Because I love memoir writing, I have taken two memoir/personal essay classes from Melanie. I can’t believe this, but because I enjoy the teacher herself and her method of teaching so much, I’ve even taken a poetry-writing class. I’ve always steered away from writing poetry of any kind ever since I wrote a poem in college (an assignment, not a by-choice piece) and the class laughed because I wrote about a controversial topic and was so naïve that I didn’t even know it was controversial. Every time I’d mention to Melanie that I’d never write a poem, she’d encourage me to take her class, assuring me that I’d be successful. I took the class, and sure enough, I was successful, thanks to Melanie’s velvet critiquing, encouraging comments, and thoughtful suggestions, many times seeing in my writing what I couldn’t see for myself.

I have to rein myself in every time I see in the WOW classes list that Melanie is teaching another essay class. And why is this? In all of my education (B.A. in English and M.A. in English), I never took a writing class. When I was in college, writing was taught only in Freshman English; after that class, we were just expected to know how to write. I learned to teach writing myself by reading books about writing. How refreshing and educational to find a teacher/mentor who exhibits the characteristics that I know an excellent writing teacher has: the creativity to come up with topics that students want to write about, the ability to critique without finding fault, the desire to encourage students to keep on writing even when the juices aren’t flowing. Believe me . . . she’s an excellent teacher. In addition, she became my friend through being my teacher. To be a friend AND a teacher takes real talent. ~ Sandy Young

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Questions? Email Marcia & Angela at:
classroom[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com