REPLAY: Putting Together a Poetry Chapbook (2-Hour Zoom Class)

$99.99

You will receive access to the Zoom recording + the full course packet

I have three chapbooks—two of which have won or been short-listed for major awards—out in the world. I credit each with helping me understand the ambitions and preoccupations of my full-length collections. My first two were stepping stones on the way to publishing my first book. Creating, submitting, and publishing these chapbooks in the US and UK taught me the skills I would later use on a more extended scale.

In this two-hour session, I will walk you through how I think about curating, organizing, and revising chapbooks using my own as models. This instruction will be complemented by exercises that will help you better think about your own work (which, let’s be honest, is the point). I will devote the last 15-minutes of class to Q&A on particular questions/struggles you’re encountering as you embark on your own chapbook journey. Hearing others voice their questions will be of value to you in your own process.

I will provide you with a list of publishers and competitions that focus on chapbooks for your later consideration. But the bulk of this session is for you to get clear on what you are doing/planning to do through the poems in your chapbook, and to offer you practical advice on how to proceed in compiling and submitting your work from a veteran in the field.

Chapbooks are beautiful, appealing objects that often allow us to distill a particular project in a smaller space, concentrating a particular poetic theme or mode of inquiry. Whether you’re just starting to think of putting together a chapbook or in the process of revising one, this session will be useful to you.

You will receive access to the Zoom recording + the full course packet

I have three chapbooks—two of which have won or been short-listed for major awards—out in the world. I credit each with helping me understand the ambitions and preoccupations of my full-length collections. My first two were stepping stones on the way to publishing my first book. Creating, submitting, and publishing these chapbooks in the US and UK taught me the skills I would later use on a more extended scale.

In this two-hour session, I will walk you through how I think about curating, organizing, and revising chapbooks using my own as models. This instruction will be complemented by exercises that will help you better think about your own work (which, let’s be honest, is the point). I will devote the last 15-minutes of class to Q&A on particular questions/struggles you’re encountering as you embark on your own chapbook journey. Hearing others voice their questions will be of value to you in your own process.

I will provide you with a list of publishers and competitions that focus on chapbooks for your later consideration. But the bulk of this session is for you to get clear on what you are doing/planning to do through the poems in your chapbook, and to offer you practical advice on how to proceed in compiling and submitting your work from a veteran in the field.

Chapbooks are beautiful, appealing objects that often allow us to distill a particular project in a smaller space, concentrating a particular poetic theme or mode of inquiry. Whether you’re just starting to think of putting together a chapbook or in the process of revising one, this session will be useful to you.

Maya’s chapbook class was instrumental in helping me complete a chapbook I had been working on for over a year. Her suggestions were clear, concise and forthright. I deeply appreciate her no-nonsense approach to the construction of a collection from start to finish—actionable steps that I could take immediately to bring my project to closure. From micro edits to macro edits to the logic in order, I am a stronger writer for having taken this course. I will revisit the material again and again; I’m sure of it! — Sue Ann Gleason

Ever since I heard Pádraig Ó Tuama read “They are Building a Hospital” on the Poetry Unbound podcast, I’ve been captivated by Maya Popa’s poetry. I was in search of poetry craft classes and was delighted to discover Popa has a website with online classes on a range of subjects. I have learned so much from the three classes I purchased: Putting Together a Poetry Chapbook, Re-imagining Revision, and Writing the Short Poem. These were recorded classes held on Zoom, but the audiovisual quality is excellent, and Maya is so encouraging and thoughtful in the way she approaches each class that you feel like you’re being taught by a very smart friend and mentor who truly cares about your development as a poet. I highly recommend these classes! — Lisa Merschel, Ph.D. Director, Spanish Language, Duke University