The primary purpose of this course, is for the student to gain an appreciation for various sty[es of poetry, and to learn to write and grow as a poet.

A wonderful opportunity to learn, write and grow as a poet.

Do you have the desire to learn to write the best poem that you can write?

Explore various types of poetry and discover which tap into your soul, including

• Ekphrastic poetry

• Free Verse

• Poems of Mourning

• Letter Poems

• Blank verse

And more, as you explore the poetry of

• Robert Frost

• Emily Dickenson

• George Ella Lyon

• Rita Dove

• William Carlos Williams

And more, along with award-winning poet Linda Trott Dickman.

Students in "Unleash Your Inner Poet" will not only learn more about going from ‘start to print’ with their writing project, they will also have publishing opportunities with Red Penguin Books, including literary journals and anthologies. Don’t just write - get published!

Linda Trott Dickman has been writing poetry since her first sleep-away camp experience when she was ten years old. She is a recently retired school librarian. Linda is the author of Robes: The Art of Being Covered, The Air That I Breathe and Road Trip. Linda’s poetry has been published on-line and in several anthologies. She is the former Bard’s Laureate 2017-2019 for the Bard’s Initiative and has served on its board. She is the current coordinator of poetry for the Northport Arts Coalition (Northport, NY.) Linda has been teaching poetry to children for over 35 years and has co-lead a poetry workshop for adults at Samantha’s Li’l Bit O’ Heaven coffee house in East Northport, NY.

Mrs. Dickman was instrumental in starting a district Authors Night where upwards of twenty local authors gathered to meet and share their work with children. Linda implemented the first Guys Read in the district. After reading an article in School Library Journal that chronicled the way that boys tended to drop out of being enthusiastic readers in/around the third grade, Linda organized a multi-grade group which focused on the books of Jon Sciezscka, inspired by his original Guys Read website. Linda received a letter of commendation from First Lady and Librarian Laura Bush recognizing her efforts in this area.

What we hope to accomplish

1. 1. 1. You will write a few poems.

      2. You will get feedback from other poets.

      3. You will learn how to give feedback to other poets.

      4. You will learn what to do with that feedback.

      5. You will feel confident enough to submit your work to publishers.

What you’ll need

Notebook, writing implement, imagination.

The forms we will explore

1. 1. 1. Concrete (shaped)

      2. Ekphrastic

      3. Free verse - A Noiseless Patient Spider

      4. Rhyme - Trees

      5. Blank Verse

      6. Sonnet

      7. Letter Poem

   2. 
      

      One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my professors at Adelphi was to read everything, whether I liked it or not, because every poet has something to teach. Perhaps it is their tone, their use of rhythm, their use of white space on the page. Even if you don’t personally care for their work, there is always something to appreciate or admire about each poet. That goes for this class, that goes for readings you attend. Try to find that one line that moved you, one positive thing that the poet did that you can learn from. That is how this workshop is run, and I heartily suggest that when you look for a local workshop or group to write with, you will seek out a leader who employs that philosophy. The same goes for offering suggestions. I learned from a classmate that the word “consider” leaves the poet room to make their own decision about their poem.