We will generate new work based on the poems, life, and lore of Reuben Jackson.

This workshop is a celebration and study of the life and work of Reuben Jackson who mentored generations of writers and taught at The Writer’s Center for over a decade. During the course of five sessions together, we will write vignettes about our interactions with this top-shelf teacher, poet, and jazz scholar. In addition, we will carefully read his poetry and use them as generative prompts to create new work. We will culminate this workshop at The Writer’s Center in a public reading/celebration to honor Mr. Jackson and keep his literary legacy alive on November 1 at 1:00 PM.

Live video conference: This workshop will be held via our online video conferencing platform, Zoom. You can view brief tutorials on using the platform here. On the start date or the day before, participants will receive an email with login info (please check your spam if you don’t see it).

In this workshop you’ll learn:

• About the influences, themes, and craft of Reuben Jackson’s poetry.
• How to use a single poet’s work as a generative tool to create innovative and surprising new work.
• How to build community through reading and writing about a literary figure.

Time requirements

• You will likely dedicate a few hours a week to creating your drafts to bring to class the following week.

Materials

• We will read Scattered Clouds: New & Selected (2019)
  A digital packet of poems found outside of this collection will be provided

Who should take this workshop?

• This workshops is designed for any writer who has worked with Reuben Jackson or wished they had. Also, folks familiar with Reuben’s work might find this course of interest.

If you need an accommodation for this workshop, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.