Class Description
Teen Class Description:
Are you daunted by the idea of writing a sonnet? Excited to try it? Maybe you’ve stayed away from formal poetry because it feels restrictive or outdated. Maybe you’ve been interested in trying out some poetic forms, but had trouble knowing where to start. In this class, we’ll look at poetic forms not as sets of rules or standards meant to constrict your imagination, but as opportunities to play with language, open up new possibilities in your poetry, and create resonance between form and content. We’ll explore a range of "received" forms that come to us from various points in history and cultural contexts (possibilities include the sonnet, the haibun, the ghazal, the villanelle, the tanka, the sestina, and others). We'll read poems by both historical and contemporary poets who are playing with those forms in fascinating ways. And if all poetic forms come from somewhere, why can’t they come from us? In the second half of class, we’ll invent our own forms with our own rules, and see where our imaginations lead us! For writers age 13 - 18 ONLY.
Class takeaways:
By the end of this class, you’ll come away with several drafts of poems in form, a brand new poetic form that you invented, as well as handouts and resources about all the forms we studied so that you can continue to explore them in the future.
Note About Our NEW Class Format:
We’ve made our remote classes more flexible than ever — with plenty of optional portions designed to allow for screen breaks — while still keeping us connected as a writing community. Learn more.
How Remote Learning works:
This class will be hosted remotely! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom video conference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance!
For parents registering their teens:
*Note: Parents/guardians must complete this permission form online if your teen is under 18.* Unlike previous forms, you only need to fill this out ONE TIME, not for every class. If you cannot remember whether you have already filled it out, please email [email protected] and we will check for you!
If you do not complete the form, registrations could be voided and the cancellation policy will apply. If the student is 18, simply let us know at [email protected].
*If you are registering on behalf of your teen, add their email information in the “For a Friend or Child?” field on the right-hand side of the screen before you check out. This will send them a direct link and reminder to create their own profile with GrubStreet.
(After adding the class to your cart, click "Checkout" and click “Add” next to “For a Friend or Child?” on the right-hand side to fill in their email. This is an easy way of linking the class to your child and encourages them to create their own account.)
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.