Poetry Workshops
I offer a variety of original classes—from generative to revision, contemporary poets, craft of poetry, experimental forms, love poems, and more—for poets of all levels, from beginners to experienced authors looking for inspiration, accountability, encouragement, new techniques, deep discussion, a supportive writing community, generous feedback, and publication. Scroll down to learn about upcoming workshops and sign up today!
ONLINE CLASSES
Upcoming Classes
For online classes, each week, we’ll meet on Zoom for 2-3 hours (depending on the format). I’ll also post materials and assignments on Wet.Ink, and provide comprehensive feedback. Students will read and discuss each other’s work in a relaxed, supportive environment.
COACHING & EDITING
Manuscript Review, Coaching & Editing
I offer private manuscript mentorship, review, editing, and coaching services on a submission basis.
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For poets looking to evolve, polish, or publish a collection, I offer a broad range of manuscript review services including evaluation, developmental editing, arrangement, layout, copy editing, proofreading and more, depending on the stage of the work and individual needs of each client.
Standard manuscript review includes detailed written feedback about what I'm noticing in the writing in terms of patterns, themes, form, quality, and precision. As needed, I provide suggestions for revising and ordering poems for publication,
identification of stronger and weaker poems, ideas for normalizing formatting and layout, and steps for advancing the manuscript towards publication.We can discuss your specific needs in our initial consultation and adjust the price and scope of work accordingly.
Manuscript review generally runs between $500 -$750 and includes a complimentary follow-up Zoom call after written feedback to answer questions. Additional feedback sessions can be added at my hourly rate of $150.
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Individualized coaching services depend on the specific needs of each writer, but might include editing or feedback on a single poem, group of poems, or book query, help getting unblocked, directed writing, publishing advice, accountability support and more.
I offer a free initial consultation, in which we can discuss your expectations and project scope. My hourly rate is $150.
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I accept a limited number of new clients on a selective basis, due to time constraints.
To apply, please click below to fill out a short query form.
I will then reach out to schedule an initial consultation. If we decide to work together, I’ll provide a formal written agreement to set expectations and memorialize the desired scope of work and fee structure.
Great poets read, write, revise, evolve, learn, and grow. Classes offer students of all levels a safe space to try new things.
Inspiration
Most writers get blocked from time to time. Maybe we don’t know what to write about, or we keep returning to the same themes and tropes, or we don’t spend as much time writing as we’d like. Often, we just need a little inspiration, an assignment. By reading and discussing great poetry, you can discover new images, ideas, and techniques to energize your writing practice. My classes offer lots of prompts and flexibility to get you excited and on the page.
Feedback
I give great feedback! I spend time with your work and offer thoughtful, encouraging, actionable suggestions for pushing your poems forward. I think this is a big reason why people take my classes over and over. But it’s not just my feedback that will make you a better poet. You’ll also get insightful points of view from other students deeply engaging your work and holding up the mirror for you. And as you practice giving great feedback to other poets, you will become a better reader, reviser, and observer of your own poems.
Accountability
As writers, we often struggle to put writing at the top of our priority list, even though we want to. Instead we clean the house or take care of others, we shop or work late or binge-watch murder shows. We avoid doing the thing we want to do most. Taking a class is a great way to show up for yourself. It’s easier to commit to your writing when you have an assignment, a deadline, and a group of other poets cheering you on and holding you accountable.
Community
There’s a myth about writers writing in solitude. Even if you are alone when you do most of your writing, good writers don’t write in a vacuum. (And it’s lonely enough with the lingering pandemic.) We need each other for support, feedback, ideas, encouragement, to get us through the imposter syndrome. We need other poets to listen to our poems and read us theirs. We need to clap for one another and share submission calls and favorite books. I love holding space for writers to support each other. Join the community!
Tools for Success:
The Online Experience
Wet.Ink
My online classes include access to Wet.Ink, a virtual platform specifically designed for teaching and learning creative writing. Easy and intuitive, this website is where I post lessons, reading packets, assignments, and more to supplement our discussions. Students will also upload poems for written feedback and offer collaborative critiques on the site.
Zoom
Synchronous classes meet live on Zoom for a relaxed, supportive, online experience. Multi-week workshops generally have 7-15 students and larger classes use breakout rooms for workshopping.
TESTIMONIALS
“I am fortunate to have started studying poetry with Hollie Hardy as my first teacher. Hollie understands the craft of poetry. She is an effective teacher and provides insightful and supportive critiques. I had no intention of publishing but, due to Hollie’s encouragement, three months after starting my studies with her, I submitted and my first poem was accepted. Many of the poems I have had published were written from prompts in Hollie’s classes. I highly recommend Hollie Hardy’s workshops.”
Valerie Sopher
Winner of the Wingless Dreamer Dawn of the Day Poetry Contest
“Hollie Hardy's classes and workshops took my poetry to the level I'd hoped to achieve from my MFA grad school program. I learned so much through academia but craved more practical application. Hollie's approach as a working poet, an adjunct professor, writing coach, literary scene provocateur and open mic midwife gave me the experience of poetry in community, poetry in action, poetry as the answer to so many of my questions. She finds the power and the positive in each of her student's writings and helps expand what's working, facilitating the way to take your emerging voice to the next level.”
Mimi Gonzalez-Barillas/noemi rose
“I’ve always known I loved words, and I dreamed of being a writer since I was six years old. Last year, at age 41, I finally took the plunge and joined Hollie Hardy’s online poetry writing classes. They have completely changed my life. Hollie is both an experienced published poet and a wise, compassionate teacher. She knows how to push, when to challenge. She knows her stuff. But she backs it up with a rock solid foundation of caring. This can be an MFA-level class for those who are ready. It is also welcoming to the complete newbie, practical, focused on the experience of being a poet, of feeling our way into poems. Molding mind clay into word magic. We all push each other, but it's not aggressive or competitive. Her classes are genuine communities. In almost two years with Hollie, I have made good friends. I have learned more about myself and the universe than I ever thought possible. Also, this class can get you published! I had my first two poems come out in journals earlier this year. Take Hollie’s class! You won’t regret it.”
Ethan Ashkin Stanton
“I’ve taken 3 classes with Hollie: one in-person and two virtual. She is a thoughtful and dynamic teacher in both settings. I really enjoy Hollie’s courses because she provides amazing model poems and develops stimulating and fun writing prompts for generating work. I’ve crafted broad-ranging poems in traditional and experimental forms in Hollie’s classes. I feel supported by the flexible boundaries she offers in the class. Her feedback always helps me to find the best way to improve my work or to feel more confident if/when a poem is “done.” Also, she dedicates time to guiding poets towards publishing, offering advice about the best places where our work could find a home. Lastly, I found a wonderful community of fellow poets because of my time in her classes. Works that I developed in Hollie’s classes helped me to earn the 2022 SF Foundation/Nomadic Press Literary Award in Poetry. I will be taking another class with Hollie in the near future and love revisiting her intro-level classes whenever I hit a writing slump.”
Anesha Grant
Winner of the 2022 San Francisco Foundation/Nomadic Press Literary Award in Poetry
“I am a published poet because of my workshops with Hollie Hardy. Not every great writer is a great teacher, but Hollie Hardy is both. She submerges her students in the work of other talented writers and has the skills to explain why they are great. She talks about craft, form, and poetic strategies in accessible language, so students can discover and expand their own writing toolboxes. She creates a safe space to learn and inspires questions regardless of students’ level of writing experience. Hollie nurtures artistic growth. For me, being a student is essential to staying relevant and creative. As a teacher myself, being in workshops full of other poets who also crave growth and dimension in their work is essential for my practice. A veteran student of Hollie’s, I leave every course writing better and feeling nourished and connected to other writers in the community. Every class, I make new friends and recharge my motivation, reminded why poets are so essential in this era.”
K.R. Morrison
Author of Cauldrons
“Hollie Hardy is a talented poet and wonderful teacher. During the pandemic, I began taking her poetry workshops. She provides a safe and caring milieu for us all to bloom. She gets to know each participant’s written skill level and adjusts her feedback accordingly. Like a chef who organically senses what combination of herbs and spices to use, Hollie “gets” that fine balance of encouragement and vital feedback. As a result of her knowledge and insight, her students not only improve their own poetry, but also deepen their understanding of other poets, and grow their ability to provide solid critiques in unexpected ways. I am so lucky to have stumbled into this community that Hollie nurtures and elevates.”
Tracy Artson
“While I've always been a writer, taking Hollie's classes over the past few years brought my poetry (and confidence in it!) to a new level entirely. She fosters a deeply smart, stimulating, and deadline-driven workshop environment, with detailed feedback and versatile reading packets/prompts, and always encourages taking risks. Many of the pieces I've written in her classes have gone on to be published—I really can't recommend Hollie's classes enough.”
Riley O’Connell
“Hollie Hardy’s poetry workshops are excellent. I really appreciate how there’s time for both workshopping poems and studying published poems. When the class is workshopping a student’s poem, Hollie holds back from adding her suggestions and analysis until everyone else has a chance to add their thoughts. In this way, students can speak without being influenced by Hollie’s perspective. When I took classes with Hollie, I knew that everyones’ voice held equal value. The class also takes a deep dive into analyzing well-crafted poems. She gives everyone packets of all the poems they study. Poetry workshop students will leave a Hollie Hardy class with revised poems and an understanding of what makes a polished poem shine. Take her classes and you’ll be rewarded!”
Keith Gaboury
Author of The Boy Born with a Pinhole Heart, Hello Universe Lovers, and Oakland, I’m Not Dead
“Hollie is a supportive and inspiring teacher. She cultivates a real sense of community in her classes. I love the great poems and poets she has introduced me to, and I always have a great time participating in the class discussions. She is supportive, irreverent and direct, and clear in her feedback. Hollie has taught me to trust my voice and write through stumbling blocks.”
Sara Biel
Author of Prescribed Burn and editor of Colossus Press