“Writing is a bit like archeology. Though instead of evidence from cultures that existed in the past, you are looking for signs of something that will exist in the future.” 

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—Susan Griffin, Out of Silence, Sound. Out of Nothing, Something: A Writer’s Guide

 

Poems that sing, that shiver, that stagger and/or set fire to themselves—this class will be an opportunity to deepen your relationship with poetic form, beginning with a broad survey of traditional and experimental forms, but focusing primarily on the creative process(es) that can help us find the forms that matter. As a group, we will create a “library of forms” to diversify and expand our understanding of what constitutes “formal” poetry, drawing from writers as varied as Danez Smith, Dianne Seuss, JJJJJerome Ellis, Mary Szybist, and torrin a. greathouse. We will investigate tanka, haibun (along with its relation, the burning haibun), sonnets, tree alphabets, visual poetry, erasure, collage, and more. 

 

In our ongoing consideration of poetic process, we will discuss various revision strategies, as well as more technical considerations like line breaks and sound devices. Relatedly, we will ask ourselves what it means to resist the false veneer of “done-ness” that can lead us to abandon a poem prematurely, forfeiting the opportunity to discover the truer, sometimes wilder forms that lie buried within it. Ultimately, this course will give you the chance to bring others into your writing process and/or process-related questions through group discussion, resource-sharing, and workshop-style feedback. Come with work-in-progress or start something new; all writers and levels of experience are welcome.

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About the Instructor:

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Mia Ayumi Malhotra is the author of Mothersalt (Alice James Books, forthcoming May 2025) and Isako Isako, a California Book Award finalist and winner of the Alice James Award, the Nautilus Gold Award for Poetry, a National Indie Excellence Award, and a Maine Literary Award. She is also the author of the chapbook Notes from the Birth Year, winner of the Bateau Press BOOM Contest. Mia holds degrees in creative writing from Stanford University and the University of Washington, and her work has received the Hawker Prize for Southeast Asian Poetry and the Singapore Poetry Prize. She is a Kundiman Fellow and founding member of The Ruby SF, a gathering space for women and nonbinary artists. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she teaches poetry and writes about music and the interior life.

 

Click here to learn more about Mia.

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LEFT MARGIN LIT'S CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY:

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If you find that you can't take a class for which you registered, you may request a refund, less a $25 administrative fee, at least 48 hours prior to the start of the first class session. If a class doesn't reach its minimum enrollment, it will be cancelled, and all students will receive full refunds.