NEXT LEVEL POETRY
An extended online program focussing on how practicing poets at all levels can improve their work.
About the Program
Take your poetry to the next level with Prime Minister’s Literary Award-winning poet Melinda Smith. In 6 x 90-minute online group sessions over 3 months, you will read, think, question, experiment, get feedback, and – we hope – grow as a poet. The program will be a mix of analysing published poems written in English by prominent Australian poets, and workshopping participants’ draft poems (not compulsory but recommended). The course will also include tips on publishing your poems. Suitable for poets, published or unpublished, who are ready and able to receive honest feedback on their work.
Session 1
2pm-3:30pm Sat, 13th February
Introduction, the idea of 'duende' / shadow, the idea of 'vertigo', poems that look out the window, reading sample poems, writing exercise 1
Session 2
2pm-3:30pm Sat, 27th February
Discuss Exercise 1, syllabic sound patterning and the next level, reading sample poems, writing exercise 2
Session 3
2pm-3:30pm Saturday 13th March
Discuss Exercise 2, rhythm, repetition and the next level, introducing structure, reading sample poems, writing exercise 3
Session 4
2pm-3:30pm Saturday 27th March
Discuss Exercise 3, thinking more about structure, thinking about pacing, reading sample poems, writing exercise 4
[Note there is a month’s break between this session and the next to give participants time to work on their poems based on what they’ve learned so far, and to give extended time for the instructor to provide individual feedback]
Session 5
2pm-3:30pm Saturday 24th April
Discuss Exercise 4, editing including case study, writing exercise 5
Session 6
2pm-3:30pm Saturday 8th May
Discuss Exercise 5, getting the balance right (chilli / chocolate), consolidation exercise, final discussion
There will be opportunities for Melinda to comment on participants’ work, though this will be limited to what is possible within the scope of the program and equity for all those participating.
Please note: as this program has been designed as an interconnected series of sessions, participants will not be able to pay by session. Each participant to be responsible for the stability of their internet connection.
By becoming a member or participating in an ACT Writers (ACTW) program such as this, you are agreeing to abide by the ACTW code of conduct which can be found here
About Melinda Smith
Melinda Smith is the author of eight books of poetry, most recently Man-handled (Recent Work Press (2020), Listen, bitch (Recent Work Press, 2019), and Goodbye, Cruel (Pitt St Poetry, 2017). She won the 2014 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Drag down to unlock or place an emergency call (Pitt St Poetry, 2013), and her work has been widely anthologised and translated. She has taught poetry workshops in a wide range of settings, including for the Queensland Writers’ Centre, the Perth Poetry Festival, the NSW Speech and Drama Teachers’ association, and veterans’ organisation Soldier On. She is based in the ACT and is a former poetry editor of the Canberra Times.