A 4-Week Poetry Workshop
Saturdays, November 7 - 28, 10 - 11:30 AM
This unconventional class is all about curiosity, experimentation, and the joy of assembling a piece of writing from unexpected inspirations. For four Saturdays, we’ll play with fragments of found writing from various sources and practice using disparate elements to create new works. Each week, before we meet, I’ll send out an assignment of what to bring to class. These might take the form of anything from text message fragments to subject lines from your spam folder to the text from road signs and message boards. At the start of each session, I’ll begin sharing some jigsaw poetry examples of my own work (and others’) and then we’ll dive in together from the collective fragments we’ve brought. (Think it of this as a kind of potluck where everyone’s bringing elements of a recipe and we’ll all be making different dishes using an overlap of these ingredients.) Jigsaw Poetry is a wonderful exercise in both working within a restriction and finding ways to incorporate new language, imagery, and subject matter in our writing. This class offers an energizing, connective opportunity to practice staying loose and open to outcomes!
$120 Members/$175 Nonmembers
Maya Stein (she/her) has been a freelance writer and editor for more than 25 years. She has self-published six books—including a poetry collection, two creative nonfiction collections and most recently, “Margin Release: An Incomplete Memoir"—and a handful of writing prompt guides. Her book, “The Poser: 38 Portraits Reimagined,” received an Honorable Mention for the 2021 North Street Book Prize and was winner of the 2023 IPPY Independent Spirit Award. Maya facilitates workshops and retreats—live and online—and also works one-on-one with others to support their creative practice and bring new work to fruition. She was a founder of the small press Toad Hall Editions and has served as its Editorial Director since 2021. She served as the Belfast Poet Laureate from 2023-2025. A forthcoming book of poems, “Endings and other Beginnings” will be published in Fall 2026. For more info about Maya, visit www.mayastein.com
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-200-7180 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one partial scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due two weeks prior to the workshop start date, at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION