Introduction to Prose Poetry
This four-week workshop will walk students through the history of prose poetry. By reading and writing, students will learn what distinguishes the prose poem from other genres, and generate their own prose poems using a variety of styles.
About the course
Course Fee
Course Dates
All Sessions Will Take Place at 09:00AM Pacific Standard Time or 16:00PM Greenwich Mean Time
Course Length
1st March - 1st April
Weekly Study
One Hour
Testimonial
Course summary
In this course we will examine what exactly is prose poetry? How is it different from flash fiction or poetry? We will take a brief look at the history of prose poetry. We’ll also read some famous, award-winning prose poets, including Charles Simic, Marosa di Giorgio, and James Tate, and think about what they’re doing on the page. Also, through weekly writing exercises, we will experiment with various literary techniques, and hopefully produce some work of our own.
How you will learn
Our team of editors, novelists and scriptwriters will provide a helping hand – making you a more confident writer.
Thanks to our status as a platform for discovering the best literary talent – having helped kick-start the careers of several literary writers to acclaim, such as Nikesh Shukla, Naomi Alderman, Peng Shepherd, Clare Wigfall, Stuart Evers, Inua Ellams and others on the Man Booker Prize longlists – we have far-reaching external networks that create opportunities for your work to get in front of editors, agents and publishers. You will learn through:
- Generating and pitching ideas
- Submissions best practices and feedback
- Live readings & performances
- Writing and sharing your work online
- Specialist workshops
- Live salons
The Tutor
José Hernandez Diaz
Jose Hernandez Diaz is a 2017 NEA Poetry Fellow. He is the author of a collection of prose poems: The Fire Eater (Texas Review Press, 2020). He holds degrees in English and Creative Writing from UC Berkeley and Antioch University Los Angeles. His work appears in The American Poetry Review, Cincinnati Review, Georgia Review, Huizache, Iowa Review, The Nation, Poetry, and in The Best American Nonrequired Reading. Currently, he is an Editor for Frontier and Palette Poetry.
Jose’s workshop was practical, hands-on, and very generative: his imaginative writing prompts helped me draft over a dozen prose poems that I’m proud of. Jose also has a kind and encouraging presence and he created a wonderful learning environment. I highly recommend this class! - Student
The workshop atmosphere is very positive and open (just like Jose!), and everyone is encouraged to share (or not) according to their own comfort level. But perhaps more importantly, this was the most generative class I've taken to date; each session I left with at least four solid beginnings to new poems, and often as many as six or seven. The structure of each class session is such that writing happens quickly, spontaneously, and with free experimentation in rhythm, imagery and theme. My first published piece of poetry was written in class with Jose from one of his prompts, and three others I started throughout the course have been accepted for publication. I find myself returning to my course notes and prompts when I need inspiration or direction, weeks after completing the class. If every Litro Master Class is half as rewarding and educational as this one, then they're all worth much more than they cost. If you have a chance to workshop with Jose Hernandez Diaz, take it. (And maybe take it again... I'm thinking about it!) - Adrienne Crezo, student
