Magical Intention in Poetry
Some people believe that a poem comes from some magical place, the unconscious, the muse, the ether. Other people believe that a poem comes from the writer’s intention, and others still fall somewhere in between. In this course, we'll explore both the mysterious magical place where poetry might come from and learn about craft—the writer’s intention (sometimes through the subconscious). We’ll focus on craft and technique (the line, image, syntax, revision, and more), with an emphasis on language and the possibilities of language, so we'll be ready for magic when it arrives. Students will be pushed beyond your comfort zones—to experiment and try new things, and will leave the course with new poems, new inspirations, and seeds for new future poems.
The course will take place from 7pm-8pm EST, May 4th through May 25th over Zoom.
● Monday, May 4th – Session 1 [first session]
● Monday, May 11th – Session 2
● Monday, May 18th – Session 3
● Monday, May 25th – Session 4 [final session]
Cost: $250 per registrant
Victoria Chang
Online Poetry Class Instructor May 2026 || she/her
Victoria Chang’s (she/her) most recent book of poems, With My Back to the World was published in 2024 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Corsair Books in the U.K., and received the Forward Prize for Best Collection of Poetry, was named a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and the PEN Jean/Stein Award, and was named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, The Guardian, Lithub, and Electric Literature. Her most recent book of poetry, The Trees Witness Everything was published by Copper Canyon Press and Corsair Books in the U.K. in 2022, and was named one of the Best Books of 2022 by The New Yorker and The Guardian.
Her nonfiction book, Dear Memory (Milkweed Editions), was published in 2021 and was named a favorite nonfiction book of 2021 by Electric Literature and Kirkus. OBIT (Copper Canyon Press, 2020), her book of poems, was named a New York Times Notable Book, a Time Must-Read Book, and received the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in Poetry, and the PEN/Voelcker Award. It was also longlisted for a National Book Award and named a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Griffin International Poetry Prize. She has written several children’s books as well and Eureka is forthcoming from FSG Books for Young Readers in 2026. She has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and the Chowdhury Prize in Literature. She serves as the Bourne Chair in Poetry at Georgia Tech and as the Director of Poetry@Tech. Her poems have been translated into many languages including Italian, Chinese, Hebrew, Korean, Spanish, Romanian, German, Latvian, Greek, and Dutch.
Explore Victoria Chang's work in Brink Issue No. 10 || RENEWAL
Previous Online Classes
Where do we begin?
As lovers of poetry, we know hooks or the beginning line of our favorite poems pull us in, unearth our human connection, ground us in the author’s world outside of our singularity. From Lucille Clifton’s “won’t you celebrate with me,” to William Shakespeare’s “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”, hooks are often what we return back to after the poem is unleashed—similar to our favorite hooks in a song. Especially in a time where attention spans are frantic in an oversaturated social media world, tending to how we hone and articulate our worldview from the beginning can help us strengthen our poetic voice.
In this virtual 4-week/4-session generative and craft workshop, participants will collaboratively explore how to decipher and utilize the poetic devices that make hooks stay with us. Each workshop will also feature writing prompts to help participants individually answer the questions that often plague us as writers:
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How do you write your way into a poem when it’s difficult to know where to begin?
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What are some editing practices to create poetic builds from the opening line?
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What poetic models and techniques can I develop to better inform my writing practice?
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How do I know when the opening line is complete?
Centering the works of poets like Ariana Benson, CAConrad, Natalie Diaz, Nicole Sealey, Patricia Smith, and more, this workshop will provide participants with ecological examples of dynamic poems from start to finish, while also highlighting how the non-human landscapes, ecosystems, languages, and worlds around us can energize and inform our poems.
The class will take place each Tuesday in February 2026:
February 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th
6:30 PM - 8 PM EST
Cost: $250
Golden
Online Poetry Class Instructor February 2026 || they/them
Golden (they/them) is a poet, multidisciplinary artist, & educator raised in Hampton, VA (Kikotan land). They are the author of A Dead Name That Learned How to Live (Game Over Books 2022), a Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Transgender Poetry (Game Over Books 2023), and Reprise (Haymarket Books 2025). Golden is the recipient of a Pink Door Fellowship (2017/2019), the Frontier Award for New Poets (2019), a Best of the Net Award (2020), a City of Boston Artist- in-Residence (2020-2021), a MacDowell Fellowship (2025), and a Blackburn ‘71 Fellowship (2025). They have taught workshops and classes at Wellesley College, ICA Boston, New York University, GrubStreet, the Philly Pigeon, and Concord Academy.
Their published and collaborative work can be found on/in The Yale Review, The Nation, Poetry Magazine, In These Times, The Boston Globe, Vogue, Muzzle Magazine, Split this Rock, Button Poetry, Best of the Net Anthology, Instagram (@goldenthem_), or through their website goldengoldengolden.com. Golden holds a BFA in Photography & Imaging from New York University and is currently a MFA Creative Writing candidate at Randolph College.
Explore Golden's work in Brink Issue No. 2 || TROUBLE