Today the good folks at The Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing have shared a writing prompt of mine about Welcoming Surprises in your poetry. You can read it online for free-sies!
Author Archives: Christopher
I’m Reading Poetry Friday July 3 @ 7 pm Eastern Time via Zoom!
I’m reading poetry tomorrow night with the wonderful Samantha Ocena (followed by a conversation with the marvelous John Howard) as the closing festivities of this week’s virtual Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, hosted by the Oak Bluffs Public Library. The reading starts at 7 pm Eastern Time. The zoom link is below. Swing on by and join us already!
https://oakbluffs.zoom.us/j/92674393814?pwd=NUx1NWZHeWpaK0wvemJYc1NQSGF6dz09
Reminder: My Free Zoom Creative Nonfiction Class Tomorrow!
This is just a reminder that I’m teaching a free online creative writing class tomorrow, Wednesday July 1, from 10-12 Eastern Time. It’s a creative nonfiction class on Hermit Crab essays, a kind of lyric essay. They’re fun! No need to register or anything, just use the Zoom link below and join us! It’s part of this week’s virtual 11th year of Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, and it’s hosted by the Oak Bluff’s Public Library on Martha’s Vineyard. I can’t take you all out for a cup of chowder afterwards, but we should have a lovely digital time together! 🙂
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Weds July 1: 10am-12: Christopher Citro: Zoom Lyric Essay Writing Workshop:
The Hermit Crab Essay
In this class we’ll explore the hermit crab essay, a hybrid form of the lyric essay which uses the shell of an existing form of writing, such as a recipe or questionnaire, in which to write our own personal essay. We’ll gain an acquaintance with this popular new form of the personal essay, then use prompts to inspire us in our own writing journey. Previous writing experience welcomed but not required. Free and open to all writers.
https://oakbluffs.zoom.us/j/98698055535?pwd=K2NSaU1NYlBqWUtqajg4VnZhNktKdz09
I’m teaching 2 online creative writing classes this summer!
I’m teaching two 6-week creative writing workshops (poetry & creative nonfiction) this summer via The Downtown Writers Center in Syracuse. Anyone anywhere can sign up to take them cuz online! Yay! Registration is inexpensive and open to the public — you don’t need to be a Y member! To learn more about The Downtown Writer’s Center, download the summer class schedule with all its awesome class offerings, and register for these workshops, visit the Center’s website HERE. Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested!
P.S. classes cap at 10 students, so if you are interested, register early! 
I’m teaching & reading online next week – for free!
This is happening online next week! All free! 🙂 Workshops in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Readings in the evenings! I’m teaching a generative workshop on Hermit Crab Lyric Essays on Wednesday morning, July 1, and I’m giving a reading on Friday July 3 at 7 pm. It’s all free and organized through the Oak Bluffs Public Library on Martha’s Vineyard. Tune in and join us!
“We Couldn’t Be More Biological” Accepted at American Poetry Review!!!
My hands are shaking as I type this. The American Poetry Review has just accepted my poem “We Couldn’t Be More Biological.” American Poetry Review. I’m still shaking.
My lyric essay “What You’re Thinking Now Is a Chunk of Marble” Accepted at Southeast Review!
Oh my goodness! My lyric essay “What You’re Thinking Now Is a Chunk of Marble” has just been accepted at Southeast Review! It’s the second in my series of lyric essays inspired by the 4 fundamental forces of physics–this one being the gravity essay. Now I need to get on the stick and finish the remaining 2 on the strong and weak nuclear reactions… Thank you Dyan Neary and the rest of the CNF staff!
3 Poems in the New Sou’wester!
What a joy to hold my contributor copy of Sou’wester, which contains my poems “Until the World Cracks in Half,” “Last Bites Mostly Your Own Saliva,” and “Say that Again.” Thank you Poetry Editor Joshua Kryah and the rest of the Sou’wester crew!
Thank you Blurbers!!!
Thank you Ross Gay! Thank you Lee Upton! Thank you Diane Seuss! Thank you Dean Young! When poets — some I’ve never even met — whose work I’ve loved so much take time out to write a blurb for my second book, out of the generosity of their hearts… Wow. That’s something I’m so dang thankful for in these uncertain, anxiety-swamped days. Thank you Ross Gay! Thank you Lee Upton! Thank you Diane Seuss! Thank you Dean Young! Thank you!
Write your lyric essay!
The Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, where I’ve taught seven of the last ten years, has begun sharing writing exercises as part of their new online content. The Institute won’t be happening in person this summer, for obvious reasons, but anyone can now enjoy free weekly writing prompts from the faculty. Today they’ve posted an exercise I created.
It’s a prompt to guide you in writing a lyric essay, specifically one of the fragmented/collage type lyric essays which I love so much. Happy writing!
To get the writing exercise, click HERE!