Joy Roulier Sawyer was an absolutely wonderful teacher. She was so supportive of everyone and noticed positive aspects in each of our writing and responses. Her responses to poetry we submitted was thorough and thoughtful. I will be looking for another course to take with Joy as she inspired me to continue to write.

I have been interested in writing poetry for a while, but didn’t know how to get started. This was an excellent introduction. The readings included craft information as well as inspiration. The instructor provided feedback on my work that was encouraging and helped me learn how to improve my work. I am thrilled that not only did I get started writing poems, but with the inspiration and guidance provided in this class, have actually written a few that feel meaningful to me. I even have had one accepted for publication!

Excellent. I would take the course again—the exact same one. There is so much to glean from the material presented that one pass is not enough. I Highly recommend Zining to any aspiring poet or anyone exploring poetry.

The teacher was very responsive and I benefited from her ability to target my strengths and weaknesses in a very tactful but direct way. She clearly brought a new level of artistry to my work and I will forever be grateful to her. The format was wonderful and my classmates were forthcoming and the participation was open and full. She truly improved the craft of my poetry. Zining Mok is very knowledgeable and explained many techniques, forms and structures that I was up until now unaware. I recommend this course highly!!

The workshop was great. The teacher was great. I learned about modern sonnets and I am so happy.