the "what the fuck is poetry?" poetry workshop

hi & welcome to the "what the fuck is poetry?" poetry workshop page!

my name is joelle and i've been teaching various iterations of this workshop for six years now, in san diego, portland, boulder, online, and now here in lakewood! we exist to help local makers and creatives - both professionals and amateurs alike - build better habits and foster a healthier, more joyful, and more sustainable relationship with their creativity. we exist for the writers with writers block, for the graphic designers gone pro who now have no time to make their own work, for the songwriters who can't find the right words, for perfectionists who can't ever finish their final projects, for neurotics who can't start, for the people who's always fantasized about learning to sculpt or oil paint but could never find the way to get over their fear of not being good enough. in short, we exist for anyone and everyone who wants to make things - and to not drive themselves crazy doing so.

we are a space where you can come learn practical application skills, talk about the issues you're having with your work, find community, realize that everyone is just as in their head about their art as you are, and find other artists - living and dead, here and in text - whose work and philosophies can help you to develop your own.

regardless of if you've ever written a poem in your life before -- regardless of if you've ever even read one -- our workshop exists to help creative people tune in to their deeper creative purpose, and "noncreative" people to uncover their innate creativity (because there's no such thing as an uncreative person).

so if you photograph. if you sing. if you're in a band. if you have a half-finished manuscript hiding in a drawer somewhere. if you have more unfinished short stories than you know what to do with. if you keep buying more paint supplies but keep getting scared to actually sit down and use them. if you're sitting on a treasure trove of goodies but you're too afraid to send them out or show them to the world - we're your people.

bring a notebook! bring a pen or pencil or anything else you like to write with. and bring your self.

for further questions and inquiries, please email:
[email protected] or post your questions here.

Host or Publisher joelle schumacher