Sign up for a poetry class or workshop in your area

Continue your involvement with poetry beyond April and National Poetry Month by enrolling in a literature class or poetry workshop to help you understand poetry, broaden your reading interests, and even try your hand at writing a poem yourself. Colleges and arts centers often make individual courses in literature and writing available to the general public. Senior citizens or high school students can typically find many opportunities and discounts specifically available to them.

If you live in a metropolitan area, you will have greater success in finding a workshop that suits your needs. The best place to locate a workshop would be searching the National Poetry Map on poets.org; click on the state where you reside, scroll down to Literary organizations & centers and Reading series, conferences, & literary festivals and click on the appropriate link to find information regarding a possible poetry class or workshop—keep in mind that there are numerous workshops throughout the country that provide 2-4 week courses which offer food, lodging, and scholarships to students of need, although these residency workshops are often difficult to get.

Taking a class will bring you into contact with like-minded readers, which can be an education in its own right.