Unfamiliar words

The instructors encourage students to use words they do not understand. They also encourage students to use the words in creative and imaginative ways rather than simply expanding their vocabulary.

Dreams

Writers are encouraged to keep track of the dreams and use the material for poems.

Risk

Writers need to take risks and not fall back on clichés, especially if they are writing about family members. It is easy to write about "grandma" as the sweet old lady who made cookies even though one's own grandmother was nothing like this.

Making things up

Writers are not hampered by "what really happened." It is perfectly acceptable to take images, memories, and events from entirely different places and then weave them into a narrative poem or a poem with some type of story line.

Family

Family is a touchstone for poets. At least three exercises use family...