Classes
I believe in fostering the poetic potential in all of my students. Through Hugo House in Seattle, I teach the poetry series—Poetry I, Poetry II, Poetry III, and Poetry & Publishing, in which students move forward into often their first poetry publications and develop a steady habit to continue this practice. I love having returning students and meeting new poets, too. I also lead a monthly, free drop-in class through Hugo House in partnership with the Seattle Public Library, called Seattle Writes or Write with Hugo House. Here, adult poets respond to texts and prompts I provide for 90 minutes of generative writing and discussion.
Upcoming
Poetry III – Hugo House – on Zoom
Advanced
In examining the rhetoric of contemporary published poets, we learn new techniques to apply to our own work. In this class, we'll read and study Jericho Brown, Farnoosh Fathi, and Hayan Charara, among others. Building on a foundation of craft elements, we'll practice generative writing exercises to produce new poems. Students will participate in a supportive workshop in which their work is appreciated for what it is and where they are creatively encouraged to grow.
Instructor: Jeanine Walker
10 sessions, Wednesdays, Apr 12 – Jun 14
10:00 AM/PM – 12:00 AM/PM Pacific Standar Time
General: $480.00 | Hugo House Member: $432.00
Link to sign up: https://hugohouse.org/courses/
Evaluation of past Poetry III class (anonymous from enrolled students):
100% of students agreed:
“The instructor presented content in an organized manner, and the course was effectively organized.“
“The instructor provided clear, constructive feedback.”
“The instructor encouraged questions and participation.”
“I have now taken Poetry I – III with Jeanine plus her Poetry and Publication class because she is a highly effective instructor, organized, enthusiastic, dedicated and encouraging.”
“I want to deepen my understanding of craft and Jeanine’s approach met all of my expectations in terms of focusing on pieces such as beginnings, punctuation, solar/lunar meanings and diction/tone.”
“I love Jeanine’s teaching style and the supportive atmosphere she fosters in he classes. This is the second time I’m taking Poetry 3.”
Strengths of the class:
“Very positive attitude and class offered great instruction related to the writing of poetry with terrific examples of outside writers. Instructor encouraged writing and offered in class exercises to promote specific styles of poetry.”
“Jeanine’s classes always feel like safe places to write and express. We got really fearless in this class. The readers and in-class exercises were on point.”
“The instructor was well-versed (pun intended), insightful and most generous with herself in the class. The instructor is obviously a veteran, natural teacher and as a student I felt I could trust her completely to take me and the rest of the class on whatever journey she thought we should go on. The weekly lessons were well thought out and I learned very much from them. The curated readings were excellent—challenging, sometimes maddenlng, but almost always soul-satisfying. Just priceless.”
The class materials, the topics for each class, and the information was clear and organized. Clear time limits were set and followed so that topics could be explored, each student given a chance to contribute, and each poet given equal opportunity to workshop poems. The poems Jeanine asked us to analyze were from a diverse group of poets with different styles, points of view, and backgrounds.”
“Jeanine is quite simply an amazing teacher. She is extremely well-organized and prepared. She introduced students to a wide variety of poets, and included many poets from diverse backgrounds. She also was inclusive in her response to various ‘voices’ and always made students feel valued for their own distinctive poetic voice.”