View the archive of my two-hour class and discover the Five Things I’ve Learned about how poetry works – and how poetry helps us all become better listeners to the world around us, to the voices of others, and to the voice within.

I’m Joseph Fasano.  I’m a poet, novelist, songwriter, and teacher.

I’ve been invited to participate in this exciting series called Five Things I’ve Learned, and in my case that means Five Things I’ve Learned About the Craft and Magic of Poetry.

I say “craft and magic” because I believe that a writer is always searching for that place where craft and magic are one, where form and freedom are not opposed but in fact are revealed to be the same.

Poetry has saved me time and again, and I have devoted the past 30 or so years of my life to learning how it works, how it opens us, how it frames its mysteries. I would love to share what I’ve learned with you.

So I invite you to join me for this two-hour class, in which I will offer you five essential insights into poetic craft: (1) the effects of rhythmic language, (2) the use of imagery to unlock unconscious content, (3) the structures of lineation, (4) the union of “form” and “freedom,” and (5) the power of the human voice in the performance of verse.

This class is for those of you who want to improve your writing, but it is also for those who just want to deepen your reading experience of poetry. And, I might add, this class will help all of us become better listeners to the world around us, to the voices of others, and to the voice within.

I hope you’ll join me, and I’m very excited to take this journey with you.

-Joseph Fasano