Category Archives: Teaching

I’m Teaching a Poetry Workshop This Winter at The Downtown Writer’s Center in Syracuse NY

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I’m excited to announce that I’ll be teaching an 8-week poetry writing workshop called “In the Landscape of Contemporary Poetry” starting January 23, 2019 at The Downtown Writer’s Center in sunny Syracuse, NY. I teach this workshop every winter session, and the readings are all new every year. If you’re in the area come on down!

In the Landscape of Contemporary Poetry with Christopher Citro. Wednesdays, 6:00 – 8:00. 8 weeks, starting January 23. “You grow to love the creatures you create/ some of them come out with pupils swirling/ others with teeth” writes Kaveh Akbar in his 2017 book Calling a Wolf a Wolf. In this regular winter session workshop, with all different readings each year, we’ll discuss poetry from recent books and journals, then use prompts from our readings to inspire us in the creation of our own darling poetic creatures.

Registration is inexpensive and open to the public. To learn more about The Downtown Writer’s Center, download the winter class schedule, and register for this workshop, visit the Center’s website HERE. Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested!

Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing 2018!

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And with the traditional elderflower wine toast the 9th annual Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing gets joyfully underway tonight with a reading by Director Alexander Weinstein from his book Children of the New World. Skol!

I’ll be teaching Tuesday and Wednesday and giving a reading Thursday night!

I’m Teaching a Spring Poetry Workshop at The Downtown Writer’s Center in Syracuse!

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Howdy friends. I’m delighted to share the news that I’ll be teaching an eight-week poetry workshop called “Welcoming Surprises” this spring at The Downtown Writer’s Center in sunny Syracuse (see class description below). Registration is inexpensive and open to the public. To learn more about The Downtown Writer’s Center, download the spring class schedule, and register for these workshops, visit the Center’s website below. Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested!

Welcoming Surprises with Christopher Citro. Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00. 8 weeks, starting April 18. In this workshop, we’ll discuss poetry that incorporates leaps, turns, and the unexpected. We’ll use prompts and exercises drawn from our readings to inspire new writing that helps us break out of our ruts and embrace fresh discoveries.

I’m teaching at the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing June 10-16, 2018

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I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be returning this year for my sixth summer teaching at the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. I’ll be there for Week 1 (June 10-16), during which I’ll conduct seminars on “The Voices of the Poet” and “The Lyric Essay.”

My fellow week one faculty includes Alexander Weinstein, Samantha Tetangco, Randi Beck, and Phong Nguyen. The second week’s faculty includes Alexander Weinstein, Amelia Martens, Britton Shurley, Sequoia Nagamatsu, and Kea Wilson.

Click HERE to register for both or either weeks, learn about financial aid opportunities and fellowships (Parent Writers deadline April 21 & Voices of Color deadline March 20), and to enter this year’s contest (deadline March 31).

Come join us on the island!

Teaching 2 Creative Writing Workshops This Winter at The Downtown Writer’s Center in Syracuse NY

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I’m thrilled to share the news that I’ll be teaching two eight-week creative writing workshops this winter at The Downtown Writer’s Center in sunny Syracuse, NY — a Monday night poetry workshop focusing on very contemporary poetry from literary journals and recent books and a Wednesday night workshop focusing on the lyric essay (the lyric essay course will be a repeat of the course I taught last year). Both classes begin the last week of January (see the class descriptions below). Registration is inexpensive and open to the public. To learn more about The Downtown Writer’s Center, download the spring class schedule, and register for these workshops, visit the Center’s website HERE. Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested!

In the Landscape of Contemporary Poetry with Christopher Citro. Mondays, 6:00-8:00. 8 weeks, starting January 29. “I have/enough ink to give you the sea” writes Ocean Vuong in his 2016 book, Night Sky with Exit Wounds. We’ll discuss poetry from recent books or journals, then use prompts from our readings to inspire new writing

The Lyric Essay with Christopher Citro. Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00. 8 weeks, starting January 31. “The lyric essay partakes of the poem in its density and shapeliness, its distillation of ideas and musicality of language. It partakes of the essay in its weight, in its overt desire to engage with facts” (Tall & D’Agata). Explore this exciting hybrid genre, using prompts to inspire.

I’m Teaching a Poetry Workshop in Syracuse NY This Fall

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Summer is never going to end–I’m clutching onto that thought like inflatable water wings. But just in case it does…I wanted to share the delightful news that I’ll be teaching a poetry workshop on the short poem Wednesday evenings this fall at The Downtown Writer’s Center in Syracuse, NY (see the class description below). Registration is inexpensive and open to the public. To learn more about The Downtown Writer’s Center, download the fall class schedule, and register for the workshop, visit the Center’s website HERE. Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested!
 
The Short Poem with Christopher Citro. Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00. 8 weeks, starting October 4. “But who would believe such a thing? / To build a house out of paper and then abandon it” (Mary Ruefle, “Wasps’ Nest”). In this workshop we’ll explore the challenges and joys of making a poem happen in fewer than 14 lines. We’ll discuss short poems, from the old to the very new, and then use prompts to inspire us in our own writing.

Teaching 2 Creative Writing Workshops This Spring at The Downtown Writer’s Center in Syracuse NY

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I’m thrilled to share the news that I’ll be teaching two eight-week creative writing workshops this spring at The Downtown Writer’s Center in sunny Syracuse, NY — a Monday night workshop on the lyric essay and a Wednesday night poetry workshop focusing on the line. Both classes begin the third week of April (see the class descriptions below). Registration is inexpensive and open to the public. To learn more about The Downtown Writer’s Center, download the spring class schedule, and register for these workshops, visit the Center’s website HERE. Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested!

The Lyric Essay with Christopher Citro. Mondays, 6:00-8:00. 8 weeks, starting April 17. “The lyric essay partakes of the poem in its den­sity and shapeliness, its distillation of ideas and musicality of language. It partakes of the essay in its weight, in its overt desire to engage with facts”(Tall & D’Agata). In this class we’ll explore this exciting hybrid genre, using prompts drawn from our reading to inspire new work.

Listening to the Line with Christopher Citro. Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00. 8 weeks, start­ing April 19. In this workshop, we’ll explore what contemporary poets are doing with the free verse line, how they use line breaks, the tension be­tween the sentence and the line, and more. We’ll use prompts drawn from our readings to inspire us to experiment and grow in our own writing.

I’m teaching at the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing July 16-22, 2017

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I’m hot-damn delighted to announce that I’ll be returning again this summer to teach at the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. It’ll be my 5th year, and it just keeps getting better and better! This year’s first week’s faculty includes Alexander Weinstein, Amelia Martens, Britton Shurley, Sequoia Nagamatsu, Kea Wilson, and the second week’s includes Alexander Weinstein, Robert James Russell, Jennifer Tseng, Allegra Hyde, and me! I’ll be teaching 2 poetry seminar classes from July 16-22. Click below to register for both or either weeks, learn about grants, and enter this year’s contest (deadline March 20th). Come join us on the island!

Contest and registration info