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: 

 

1. How do you write your way into a poem when it’s difficult to know where to begin? 

2. What are some editing practices to create poetic builds from the opening line?

3. What poetic models and techniques can I develop to better inform my writing practice?

4. 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. 

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The class will take place each Tuesday in February 2026:

February 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th

6:30 PM - 8 PM EST