Ollie Schminkey
Ollie Schminkey (they/them) has spent the past decade coaching, mentoring, teaching classes, and running workshops for poets. They’ve performed poems in 21 states, and their work has been published everywhere from Frontier Poetry to Poets.org. They are the author of two full-length collections through Button Poetry, Where I Dry the Flowers and Dead Dad Jokes, as well as the comprehensive writing prompt book, Don’t Be Afraid to be Bad (Spring 2026). They are the founder and director of the slam poetry tournament Midwest Poetry Mash-Up, and their work has been supported by the Minnesota Regional Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board. You can also find them making pottery or playing with their cat Pete, who is always trying to eat things he shouldn’t.
For more, check out ollieschminkey.com.
Student Feedback for Ollie
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I gained as a poet. The feedback Ollie gave me alongside my classmates gave me the courage to submit my poems to literary magazines for consideration. Two of the pieces I created in Ollie’s class won contest for publication. Amona White
Ollie was very encouraging and supportive; they not only knew their stuff, but shared feedback in a non-critical manner. This course provided an intimate and challenging opportunity for me to learn about various poetry forms/styles, as well as the experience of writing and sharing unedited, first-draft poems based on prompts provided by the instructor. It forced me to work outside my comfort zone, and that was a benefit in and of itself, outside of the class material. Arnold Doyle
Ollie is an excellent teacher, very lively, encouraging, and gives excellent suggestions and comments. Hongying Liu
One of my favorite courses so far. I love the short assignments daily, the positive feedback from the other participants, and the positive/helpful critique from the instructor. The prompts were always challenging and fun. Nichole Gavel
The content was really well done and thoroughly prepared. I definitely learned a lot and appreciated the teachers feedback. Ollie was great. I would take another course with them and plan to. Sarah Mark
Ollie was a wonderful teacher. I think it was through their feedback that I gained the best understanding of how working in this kind of format can truly revolutionize your writing. Nancy LaChance
“Ollie’s class was like a warm virtual hug every week. They fostered a truly lovely community of poets turned friends, and they were always so kind, present, thoughtful, and fun. I wholeheartedly endorse this class and will sign up for anything Ollie teaches in the future!”
“It is very welcoming and Ollie acts like part of the group, not a top down structure. The prompts are great and not things I would have thought of on my own.”
“This class will be a catalyst for re-visioning and creating poems for a chapbook. Even if you know a lot about poetry, you will learn something new. Ollie was an amazing instructor!”
“It’s an opportunity to congregate with an amazing & very charismatic poet and a group of like-minded people to talk about poetry and learn about other poets, to write a fun weekly prompt, and to learn from and edit the poems of your colleagues. It’s a great time, lots of fun & laughter (some tears!), and it is a tonic to the soul.”
“A fun and effective workshop for writers of any experience.”
