Category Archives: classes

Straight to the Point: What can we learn about ourselves from the world around us?

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Mandolin

My online speculative poetry class, Verses of Sky & Stars, is coming up on June 9th! The class changes a little each time as the group composition does, but if you want to get a basic idea, I talk about … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Learn the Rules Before You Break Them. Or Don’t.

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Mandolin

I’m teaching my class on how to break the rules on Saturday, May 25th. Rules can put fiction in a box; let’s talk about ways to explode out of it. There’s an old adage: Learn the rules before you break … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The Words Are Always There — Poetic Tools for Prose Writers

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Mandolin

Poetry is focused on words. So is prose! But the way we talk about words in poetry is different from the way we talk about them in prose. Merging the perspectives of poetry and prose has benefitted me enormously as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Mash It Up, an excerpt from my class on How to Write Retellings

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Mandolin

Explicitly or subtly, writers are always building on the stories that came before us. For a couple of years now, I’ve been teaching a class on retellings at Cat Rambo’s Academy. It’s always a good time to see what people … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Open-Hearted Generosity at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference

Posted on October 24, 2018 by Mandolin

Last weekend, I went to the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. I was honored to be there as a presenter, and I taught workshops on Breaking the Rules and Detail & Image. I also had two blue-pencil … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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How Long Does It Take To Write a Poem? Also, “Inside Her Heart,” and a class!

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Mandolin

I’m teaching an online class on writing science fiction and fantasy poetry on June 30 at 9:30-11:30 PDT. It’s a fun class because it draws people from many different backgrounds with many different goals. Some are dedicated poets, looking to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in classes, Poetry, Rachel Swirsky's poetry, speculative poetry, Teaching, verses of sky and stars | Tagged | 1 Comment

Speculative Poetry Class tomorrow!

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Mandolin

Come take my first ever speculative poetry class tomorrow! Poetry requires intense linguistic control. Every word matters. Whether you’re a poet who wants to create fantastical verses, or a prose writer who wants to learn the finely tuned narrative power that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in cat rambo, classes, speculative poetry, Teaching, verses of sky and stars | 1 Comment