Thursday, February 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th

5:30PM-7:30PM Phoenix MST
Location: Zoom
 

What to expect at a glance:

• Gain knowledge in writing epistles (a poem or other literary work in the form of a letter or series of letters)
• Learn techniques for merging different poetic forms 
• Draft new poems and epistles with peer and instructor feedback

Course Description:

In this dynamic, generative workshop, we will look at epistolary poetry as a distinct form to uncover and write truth-telling letters to ourselves, to others, and to our communities. From the Latin epistula for "letter," epistolary poems, also known as epistles, are poems of direct address to a person, a people, a city, or even a nation. With our time together, we will examine epistle examples and investigate craft elements for writing epistolary poetry. We will also participate in generative writing and revising sessions in response to prompts and based on our discussions on the intimacy of letter writing through poetry. Whether it be through persona, or an autobiographical note, writing epistolary poetry can serve as a clever mode to write about love, survival, resiliency, and unearth topics, smash stigma, or reveal secrets. If you just wrote your first poem or have been writing poetry for years, this workshop is for you. Explore and expand the possibilities of your craft as a poet!

By the end of the workshop, you will come away with a small poetry portfolio of epistles with a wide range of topics and perspectives.

About the instructor:

Thea Matthews is a poet of African and Indigenous Mexican descent originally from San Francisco. She holds an MFA in poetry from New York University and a BA in sociology from UC Berkeley. She is the author of GRIME (City Lights, 2025). Her poetry has appeared in or is forthcoming in Colorado Review, The Common, Obsidian Lit & Arts in the African Diaspora, Massachusetts Review, Alta Journal, On the Seawall, The New Republic, and others. She was nominated for Best New Poets in 2022 and Best of the Net in 2021. Her first book Unearth [The Flowers] was published by Red Light Lit Press and was listed under Kirkus Reviews' Best Indie Poetry of 2020. She teaches creative writing and is an editor. In the fall and early winter of 2023, Thea Matthews was a poet-in-residence for the Museum of African Diaspora and a programming curator for the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.