Lit Fest - Lighthouse Writers Workshop 2026

Poetry is the native tongue of passionate intensity. Yet how much is ‘too much’ when it comes to expressing enormous, complicated emotions? We can use various literary devices to create poetic restraint and redirection. We'll discuss works from contemporary poets Ada Limón, Sherman Alexie, Kim Addonizio, and others, as well as write our own intense—yet subtle—poems.

While poetry doesn’t require narrative, readers are often searching for it. In this course, we will discuss time and movement in poetry, and the many tools that help us to “drive” a poem and determine what kind of time we are telling. Through reading, discussion, and generative prompts, we will explore image, sound, rhythm, meter, juxtaposition, form, and to deepen our understanding of measuring, telling, and thinking about time in poems. We will read excerpts from Gwendolyn Brooks, Chen Chen, Mathias Svalina, and more.

Many living, breathing American women poets have written spectacular books in the last two years. Now in its seventh Lit Fest iteration, in preparation for this class I will sample nearly four dozen poetry collections from large and small presses. Danusha Lameris, Tara Stringfellow, Han Vanderhart and Diane Seuss are in the running, plus a long list of new poets to come. Continuing a tradition, we will explore the work of Linda Pastan as foremother. All are welcome.