Radical Revision: Get Your Poems Published
with Caitlin Scarano
November 13, 2024
4 Weeks
$345.00
Zoom sessions Thursdays from 6-7 PM Eastern
“Re-vision: to have another look, to see something again like holding a gemstone to the light, to imagine anew. Change is not just a literary conceit in fiction or the volta in a sonnet, it’s a part of being alive.”
—Su Hwang, author of Bodega
Are you ready to transform your relationship to revision—and be transformed by revision?
In this course, we will redefine what revision means—for our poetry and our lives—and explore specific techniques to radically reimagine our poems. This course is for poets at any stage who want to take their revision and editing skills to the next level, especially with an eye toward publication.
We will read and discuss a diverse selection of published poets to identify ways to revise your own poems for clarity, intricacy, and intensity. We’re going back to the roots: what is close reading? What is the art of attention? How do we open up our poetry for evolution, surprise, and complexity?
Need inspiration to write new work or sitting on a stack of poems you want to revise? You are welcome to write new poems for the course or bring drafts of previously written work. We’ll focus on deep revision, as opposed to surface edits, so bring an open mind and adventurous spirit!
Learning and Writing Goals
Learning Goals
In this course, you will:
- Analyze examples of published poets’ work across multiple drafts with detailed walkthroughs of how and why changes were made.
- Get prompts and learn techniques for revision.
- Receive individualized instructor feedback on at least two poems, including radical revision techniques that you can use to revise future writing.
- Discuss tips for developing a strategy for submitting revised poems for publication.
Writing Goals
In this course, you will:
- Revise new or previously written poems with an aim at publication.
Zoom Schedule
We will meet Thursdays from 6:00-7:00 PM Eastern on Zoom. Note: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, we will not meet the week of November 25th. Therefore, this four week course will span five weeks. Our final meeting will be Thursday, December 12th.
Weekly Syllabus
Week 1: Redefining Revision
This week, we’ll get to know each other and go over what to expect in the course. Through examples, we’ll discuss various definitions of revision in the context of poetry and different approaches to revision. We will reframe revision as a radical process and practice.
Assignment: Write or revise a poem based on writing prompt or revision exercise.
Week 2: Close Reading and the Act of Attention
This week, we’ll discuss the practice of close reading according to Jane Gallop and the roles deep listening and attention play in our revision practice. We will also lay the groundwork and expectations for our in-class workshop.
Assignment: Write or revise a poem based on writing prompt or revision exercise.
Week 3: Workshop
This session will be devoted to workshopping one poem of each student in the course, applying what we’ve learned so far about radical revision and close reading.
Assignment: Write or revise a poem based on writing prompt or revision exercise.
Week 4: After Revision: Submission and Publication
This week, we will reflect on learned, specific techniques for revision. I will also share a detailed strategy for how to submit revised work for publication.
Student Feedback for Caitlin Scarano:
Caitlin is an excellent teacher. Her comments were insightful and helped us all grow as poets. I’d love to take another class with her again. Diane Carmony
My writing took a huge leap in strength and clarity as a direct result of Caitlin’s coaching. Her detailed attention and questions challenged me think more deeply and write better. Working with Caitlin is both fun and rewarding. Richard W.
Caitlin is one of the finest teachers I have ever had. She is very approachable and kind. I enjoyed every week that we met online and always had a clear direction as to what to work on that following week. I highly recommend any class Caitlin is teaching. Barb Santucci
If you are thinking of putting a manuscript of poems together, you don’t want to miss taking one of Caitlin Scarano’s courses. It was invaluable to me in terms of learning to identify themes for a group of poems, thinking about a book title, ordering poems in a manuscript, evaluating the best way to publish my book, and so much more. By the end of the course I had the bones of a book together. Plus, it’s hard for me to believe there is a better poetry coach out there. Lynne Schilling
November 13, 2024
4 Weeks
$345.00
Zoom sessions Thursdays from 6-7 PM Eastern
