From Writing to Teaching-Announcing PoetCraft Workshops
Plus, answer a three-question survey--thanks in advance!
Something New and Different
Dear Readers & New Subscribers—Welcome! I have a brainstorm to share.
I’ve been writing on Substack for nine months now (some of you who’ve been loyal subscribers lo, these many years, may be unaware of my move, which is as it should be).
As I’ve continued to refine the focus of my online work helping you Make Friends with Poetry, I’ve noticed a desire to shift from writing poetry to teaching poetry. Not teaching in an MFA sense-my degree is in Liberal Studies and Early Education, not Language Arts-but offering you invitations to Think Poetically—learning both how to read and write poetry.
My ‘education’ has come from all I discovered from reading the work of other poets, some of whose work is pictured in the bookstack above—Luci Shaw, the matriarch of female faith poets, Susan Cowger and Laurie Klein, friends and poetic inspirers, Abigail Carroll, whose eye for wonder in Creation has been a touchstone for much of my own work.
In short, my background and experience mostly comes from “the school of 3,000 books,” as I heard poet Barbara Crooker say once.
A great deal of my poetic foundation has also come from my exuberant fangirling of poets Scott Cairns, Mischa Willet, Tania Runyan and more, attending their workshops and readings in conferences and events far and wide. I also had the remarkable privilege in 2018 of participating in a weeklong workshop intensive from poet, priest and sonneteer Malcolm Guite. His writing is also part of my poetic DNA, providing much of what I have to share by way of interest, inspiration and aspiration.
Turning, Turning
A song that echoes in my head often these days is Judy Collins’ version of Simple Gifts, her incomparable voice declaring it’s by “turning and turning we come ‘round right.” The older I get, the more I can see evidence of that turning in my work and the closer I get to God the more like myself I become. I believe that’s true for everyone.
Which is why this banner appears at the bottom of my emails to Subscribers:
When it comes down to it, I believe I’m a teacher more than anything else who wants to share what I love with all those who will listen. I believe you can deepen your own connection to God through discovering poetry written by other faith-informed poets.
In the tweaking and turning process I’ve been refining the Short Description on my Substack page as well as my profile. Honing these two short Who I Am and What I Do statements has helped me immensely to focus on how I want to serve you, the Reader, best.
If you are already a Subscriber or if you’re new here, you may be unaware of the existence of these short blurbs so here they are:
Short Description: I combine years of teaching with a love of poetry, offering readers a way to think poetically, both reading and writing it. There may be birds.
Bio: Writer, Christian, Nana and poet, often all at once. Author of "Mining the Bright Birds: Poems of Longing for Home" & "Hearts on Pilgrimage: Poems & Prayers." Helping people make friends with poetry-reading and writing. Gardening is my superpower.
I’ve also formulated a Start Here page on my Substack site that explains in a nutshell what Poetry & Made Things is all about. You’ll find it an informative read, I think. Here’s the link for that.
I mentioned ‘there may be birds’ in my Short Description which is a lighthearted add on that also gatherings quite aptly some of what inspires me. If you’ve read my newest book of poetry “Mining the Bright Birds”1 you know much of my writing mentions the pondering of birds from my Seattleland deck and in our backyard.
My (totally amateur) photos of birds in the yard and at our feeders:
So~What Exactly will this Teaching Pivot Look Like?
I’m so glad you asked.
I have some ideas brewing for four week and six week online workshops. These will be beta versions of How to Think Poetically—Reading Poetry and Writing Poetry. I’ve dubbed them PoetCraft workshops and believe these will offer much in the way of inspiration, information and encouragement, especially if you are a novice or newcomer to poetry and want to learn more.
The first PoetCraft gathering will be How to Think Poetically2 by reading the work of four different poets, sharing two poems each week. Reading poetry can lead to writing poetry, which is why we’ll be starting there. Because this first PoetCraft gather will be a Beta group—meaning, “Here’s how I think this will work so let’s tweak this together.”
We can connect with God through the discovery of beautiful language in images that resonate with us and through which we can relate to deeper things in our own lives. We’ll look at metaphors, descriptors and alliteration, plus the mechanics of poems—line breaks, assonance, syllabication (so fun to say!) and more.
Why Learn from Me?
I’m the author of two books of poetry, Mining the Bright Birds-Poems of Longing for Home (2023) and Hearts on Pilgrimage-Poems and Prayers(2021)
My Essays and Poetry have appeared in Fathom Magazine, Ekstasis, The Joyful Life, (in)courage, D.S. Martin’s Ephesians Project, Whale Road Review and more.
25 years experience writing online and in print
Blogger since 2012
Retired teacher with 20+ years’ classroom experience
Former freelance editor and writing consultant
Writing Retreat Leader
Online writing community founder “Glory Writers” 2016-2018
PoetCraft Workshop Details
The first PoetCraft workshop will be a four week gathering limited to eight people and there will be a fee. I’m still not sure if these How to Think Poetically workshops should be available to all PAID subscribers and included in their annual support—$50 per year—or for a standalone/ one time fee.
Which is why I need your help.
I would like to launch the first workshop in May sometime, depending on the responses I receive and my schedule. (I’m attending a conference in Colorado the first week of May which will impact my preparation and planning time, so it could be late May.)
To serve you best, I need your feedback on three (very important) questions. This will help me greatly in understanding how to serve my readers (that’s you!) better and more importantly, how to price this first workshop offering.
Thanks a million. And watch this space!
-Jody
P.S. If there’s a glitch with the link to the survey, please hit ‘Reply’ to this email or let me know in the comments!
Available HERE
The next PoetCraft virtual workshop will be How to Write a Poem and will probably be six weeks. There will be more info on that in the future!
"There may be birds." Love it!
Jody - I think the Start here page looks great and you have done an wonderful job telling us the why behind your shift and purpose. Looks great!