Are you a developing poet looking to hone your existing craft, kick start older poems that feel just a little tired, or steer your poetry into new areas? Poet and academic, Jill Jones, will introduce new and old concepts in this three month intensive.

In a practice-based environment, participants will bounce around a variety of poetry-making ideas as well as explore the inner-workings of some contemporary and classic poems. Under the guidance of award-winning poet, Jill Jones, you will be given poetic challenges via discussion, readings, and exercises. You will experiment with ways of looking at the line and the page afresh, at how image-making and your poetry language can be recharged, at how old forms can be made new again or new forms developed, how the play of constraint, chance and improvisation can open up new horizons, and, along the way, you will work with editing strategies to help you enhance your draft poems. Jill will also explore issues in contemporary poetry, and discuss publishing opportunities.

This is a space to progress your current work, test your creative and critical thinking, and get familiar with innovative poets and ideas. Participants will receive a package of readings and some light feedback during some meetings.

Best suited to participants who have a developing poetry practice, familiarity with contemporary poetry practice and publishing, and a basic knowledge of the fundamental elements of poetic form and ideas.

The 2023 program includes: 

• 6 fortnightly 1.5hour group meetings (dates are below)
• Access to a wide selection of workshops with 6 credits to use across Writers SA's online and in person events. (T&Cs apply)
• One in-depth consultation about your writing project with a Writers SA staff member
• An expert critical reading of approx ten pages of poems
• One Work Space writing intensive day
• Access to a private online space to share work and ideas with your peers

Feedback from past participants:

‘Poetry Studio was a dynamic course full of challenging projects, great workshop exercises to get the creative juices going and fabulous feedback to rework your poems. I came away with more knowledge about other poets, styles and methods to read and make poetry that satisfied my hungry creativity.’ - Shaine

'An engaging and immersive experience. The tutorials involved plenty of practical experiments with ample opportunities to discuss and dissect. The atmosphere in the forums was encouraging and helpful. There was good advice and assistance and exposure to new techniques for generating and revising poems.' - Joel

'Iwas very impressed with Jill’s knowledge, preparation and generosity in delivering the workshop. The support materials were excellent, the exercises challenging and the feedback from Jill was insightful and supported my development as a poet. It made a positive difference to my writing and I am very grateful.' - Gail

'Poetry Studio was like being in an exotic sweet shop where you get to try all the sweets while hanging out with friends in the shop, but then you take samples home to savour them again & again in your own sweet time! The experiments, improvisations, readings, and collegiality of other poets in the studio were a joy. We got to be playful (serious) poets under the guidance of the incredible Jill Jones who is erudite, generous, funny and encouraging; it doesn't matter where you're at in your practice, she will meet you there. What a rock star. I highly recommend JJ's Poetry Studio for anyone wanting to expand their poetry practice. It has changed the way I work.’ - Caroline
 

Meeting dates: Wednesdays 6.30pm - 8pm, March 22, April 5 & 19, May 3, 17 & 31.

About Jill Jones

Jill Jones is an award-winning poet whose books have won the Mary Gilmore Award for best debut poetry publication, the Kenneth Slessor Poetry Prize, the Whitmore Press Manuscript Prize, the Victorian Premier’s Prize for Poetry and, most recently, the Wesley Michel Wright Prize. Jill’s work is widely published in Australia and internationally, represented in major poetry anthologies, and has been translated into six languages. She has worked as an academic, arts administrator, journalist, and book editor.

Members $890* / Non-members $1390

This program will be delivered online via Zoom. Instructions will be emailed to you, please be sure to check your spam folder.

*Payment plans are available to members for this program with a $300 deposit and fortnightly repayments of $150. Please email [email protected] to discuss options.

—Not yet a Writers SA member? Join here for as little as $60!

—Writers SA members must be logged in to receive the member discount. If you are a member of another state based writers centre, please contact [email protected] at least five working days before the program commencement date to get a code for the member price. Our staff don’t work full time and we don’t want you to miss out!

*Program Terms and Conditions

- The six workshops credits refer to both digital and in-person sessions and include: three 1.5-hour workshops, two 3-hour workshops and one 6-hour workshop. The workshops may be selected of your choice or by recommendation from Writers SA. You must use these credits in 2023. Outstanding credits will not be held over. These cannot be exchanged for any other service or refunded. There will be a maximum of two credit-holders at each event until a minimum number of paid participants is reached and will be on a first-come-first-served basis after emailing [email protected] to lodge your request. If the workshop is at capacity for credit-holders, you can opt to pay for the workshop or join a wait-list until the event reaches the minimum number of paid participants.

-Participation in this series does not guarantee publication.

-In depth consultations and First Feedback will be carried out by a relevant staff member of Writers SA (not by Jill Jones)