Scott Wiggerman's Poetry Pages

W o r k s h o p s / C o u r s e s

Upcoming Workshops:

April 14, 2024
"Approaches to the Prose Poem"
Using Unknotting the Line: The Poetry in Prose, this presentation looks at several ways to approach writing a prose poem, including flash fiction, flash nonfiction, haibun, tanka prose, and cheribun--as well as the specific poetic techniques that prose writers can add to their toolboxes. In-person, specifically for non-poets! 2:30 p.m., at Cherry Hills Library, 6901 Barstow St NE, Albuquerque. 505-857-8321. REGISTRATION is FREE, and is NOW OPEN here: https://libevents.abqlibrary.org/event/12080106?hs=a .

May 4, 2024
"The Poets' Picnic 2024"
Readings, workshops, music and so much more at the Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120
Details as they develop!

May 14, 2024
"Exercise in Derangement"
An adaptation of Carmen Giménez Smith’s An Exercise in Derangement in Wingbeats II. In-person at Albuquerque’s Books on the Bosque, 6221 Riverside Plaza Lane, 6:00 p.m. Bring pen and paper—and an open mind to a different way of looking at a poem!

July 9, 2024
"Love/Hate Poems"
An adaptation of love/hate poems based on Patricia Colleen Murphy’s Between Sentiment & Language: Creating Tension in Wingbeats II. In-person at Albuquerque’s Books on the Bosque, 6221 Riverside Plaza Lane, 6:00 p.m.

September 10, 2024
"Lying in Litany Poems"
An adaptation of litany poems based on James Harms’ Lying: A Series of Exercises in Wingbeats II. In-person at Albuquerque’s Books on the Bosque, 6221 Riverside Plaza Lane, 6:00 p.m. Bring pen and paper. Be prepared to tell some whoppers!

November 12, 2024
"Weird Word Poems
An adaptation of Weird Word Poems based on Christopher Kennedy’s exercise in Wingbeats II. In-person at Albuquerque’s Books on the Bosque, 6221 Riverside Plaza Lane, 6:00 p.m. Bring pen and paper for this fun approach—and an imagination!

Recent Workshops:

March 10, 2024
"Quick Revision Techniques"
Several approaches to quick revision based on Jill Alexander Essbaum’s Right Turn, Clyde: Ten Variations on a Broken Poem in Wingbeats II. In-person at Albuquerque’s Books on the Bosque, 6221 Riverside Plaza Lane, at 6 p.m.

January 9, 2024
"The Wordplay Chart Poem"
An adaptation of Wordplay poems based on Marty McConnell’s Definition by Opposition in Wingbeats II. In-person at Albuquerque’s Books on the Bosque, 6221 Riverside Plaza Lane, Albuquerque.

November 11, 2023
"Approaches to the Prose Poem"
Using Unknotting the Line: The Poetry in Prose, I looked at several ways to approach writing a prose poem, including flash fiction, flash nonfiction, haibun, tanka prose, and cheribun--followed by a writing exercise. In-person for the New Mexico State Poetry Society's Albuquerque Chapter meeting, North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, 7521 Carmel NE, Albuquerque

November 10 and 17, 2023
"How to Haiku"
A repeat of a popular course on writing contemporary haiku in person at Oasis Albuquerque, 3301 Menaul Blvd NE, Suite 18, Albuquerque, NM 87107

October 7, 2023
Books on the Bosque 1st -year Anniversary
Dos Gatos Press editors Scott Wiggerman & David Meischen led the writing of a group poem at Books on the Bosque, 6221 Riverside Plaza Lane, Albuquerque

July 11, 2023
"The Pojack"
Tim Seibles' exercise from Wingbeats II, presented at Books on the Bosque, 6221 Riverside Plaza Lane, Albuquerque, as part of the monthly Wingbeats series of poetry workshops
6:00-7:30 p.m.

June 25, 2023
Chatter reading
at 912 3rd St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102

June 8, 2023
"To Rhyme Is Not a Crime"
in person at Oasis Albuquerque, 3301 Menaul Blvd NE, Suite 18, Albuquerque, NM 87107
10:00-11:30 a.m.
This talk/workshop looked at the many, many ways to rhyme, most of which get away from the moon-June-soon variety of pure rhyme. We touched on the following types of rhyme that are perhaps less familiar: homonymic, mono, eye, slant, alliteration, rich consonance, terminal consonance, forced, wrenched, broken, and many others--all with examples from modern poetry.

May 9, 2023
"When Good Advice Turns Bad"
Diane Lockward’s exercise from Wingbeats II, presented in-person at Books on the Bosque, 6221 Riverside Plaza Lane, Albuquerque, as part of the monthly Wingbeats series of poetry workshops

March 14, 2023
"Sentimental Immunity"
Adrienne Su’s exercise from Wingbeats II, presented in-person at Books on the Bosque, 6221 Riverside Plaza Lane, Albuquerque, as part of the monthly Wingbeats series of poetry workshops

Oct 10, 17 & 24, 2022
"Writing the Traditional Sonnet"
in person at Oasis Albuquerque, 3301 Menaul Blvd NE, Suite 18, Albuquerque, NM 87107

May 7, 2022

July 18 and 25, 2022
"The Ghazal: Writing Its Rhymes, Rhythms, and Refrains"
in person at Oasis Albuquerque, 3301 Menaul Blvd NE, Suite 18, Albuquerque, NM 87107

February 28 and March 7, 2022
"Haiku Revision"
in person at Oasis Albuquerque, 3301 Menaul Blvd NE, Suite 18, Albuquerque, NM 87107

September 20 and 27, 2021; repeated February 8 and 15, 2022
"How to Haiku: What Teachers Never Taught You" at Oasis

June 4, 11, and 18, 2021
"Reading and Writing Poetry for Healing"
through Zoom for Oasis Albuquerque, 3301 Menaul Blvd NE, Suite 18, Albuquerque, NM 87107
each session two hours, 10-12

April 10 and May 8, 2021
"Hello, Goodbye: Openings and Closings"
through Zoom for the NMSPS at 10:30 a.m.
Openings in April, Closings in May

March 13, 2021
"To Rhyme Is Not a Crime"
through Zoom for the NMSPS

October 10, 2020
"Thirteen Ways of Looking at an Ekphrastic Poem: Part II"
through Zoom for the NMSPS

September 12, 2020
"Thirteen Ways of Looking at an Ekphrastic Poem: Part I"
through Zoom for the NMSPS

March 10, 2020
"Writing Renga"
at Bookworks, 6:00 p.m.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
as part of the free Wingbeats Workshop series

January 15, 2020
"Soundscape Poems"
at Bookworks, 6:00 p.m.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
as part of the free Wingbeats Workshop series

November 16, 2019
Hiking with Poets
starting from the Open Space Visitor Center
during the Return of the Sandhill Crane Celebration

August 10, July 13, June 8, 2019
"Approaches to World Poetic Forms"
Albuquerque, NM
Summer series which focused on haiku, ghazals, and sonnets

July 9, 2019
"Syllabics: Discovery through Form"
at Bookworks, 6:00 p.m.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
as part of the free Wingbeats Workshop series

June 25, 2019
"Line by Line: Creating Poems Using Literary Devices"
for the National Federation of State Poetry Societies' Convention
at Hotel Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico

I'm looking to book further Wingbeats workshops; let me know if you're interested. Other workshops I'm available for include To Market, To Market: Publishing Poetry, several variations of Jump-Start Your Poetic Engines, Tips and Tricks to Writing a Sonnet, Poetic Collaborations, the week-long Poetry 101: The Basic Toolbox, and the week-long Poetic Forms for Today's Poets. All are reasonably priced workshops geared toward working and struggling poets. Email me for further information, costs, and travel expenses (address at bottom of screen).

Here are a few unsolicited comments from students over the years:

On the Radical Re-visioning for Poets weeklong workshop in Alpine:

"I will definitely be recommending the class to anyone who will listen!" Kathryn Culpepper

"You are an amazing poet/teacher/facilitator and you made it a safe environment for someone like me. Scott I am a professional facilitator on business topics and have seen the best and the worst and do not give this praise freely., you are damn good... not good... but damn good!" Kenneth Mory

"I am still marinating in all the creativity and encouragement. Looking forward already to next year." Lucy Griffith

On the Forms, Formulas, & More weeklong workshop in Alpine:

"The workshop has changed how I write and how I think about writing." Ann Shaw

"It was an amazing week. Don’t think I’ve ever learned so much in five days time! A big thank you to all and especially Scott for all your hard work and patience on our behalf." Patricia Bigelow

"Your class was everything I had hoped and more. I enjoyed myself immensely and learned much. Thank you. You are an excellent instructor." Ann Howells

"Thank you so much for the very hard work you invested in our workshop. I feel so much more comfortable about various forms in poetry because of your most effective organization, examples, and opportunities to 'try' those forms. And equally important, your gracious encouragement and acceptance of our efforts made our efforts and our sharing enjoyable instead of intimidating." Charlotte Renk

On the Six Structures workshops at the Writing Barn:

"I gained so much from your presentation, the variety of examples, and the chance to start some poems. I can really say it's one of best workshops I've attended." Gloria Amescua

"I got a lot out of the workshop, some of which I'm sure I'll be processing for a while. Thank you for your highly organized and meticulously detailed presentation--I have new standards for my own future workshops now thanks to you." ire'ne lara silva

On the Working Out Your Writing Muscles workshop in Alpine:

"What a week! I have attended many writing workshops in the last ten years (since I began trying to re-invent myself as a poet & writer), all the way from Ghost Ranch at Abiquiu, New Mexico to the University of Iowa Writers Workshop to Paul Burka's courses at Trinity in SA, and I can candidly say the one this past week was the best one, the most productive, the most inspiring, I have ever attended. That's the truth." Dorothy Alexander

"We stayed in Alpine for a few days to sightsee and I have to admit that I was constantly seeing something that inspired a poem. I ended up with more pages of scribble-drafts, thus hours of revision that I am actually looking forward to. One night while I was walking, I was thinking about how great all the Alpine workshops have been but that after Scott’s, I would not even consider not coming again." Christine Wenk-Harrison

On the Putting the Creative in Creative Writing workshop in Alpine:

"I wanted to thank you again for a great week. I really got a lot out of it and, quite unexpectedly, find that I like writing poetry. If the class had been entitled Putting the Creative in Creative Poetry Writing I'm certain I would have passed on it. And that would have been a huge mistake." John Doherty

"I wanted to thank you for an incredibly inspiring workshop. I really appreciated how much effort you put into preparing it. I hope I can continue to feel inspired now that I'm back in the chaos of my life. I like the sound of the word chaos, but not so much the meaning of it! Fortunately, you've given me a lot of ways to stay inspired." Leslie Stevens

On the Well-Seasoned Sonnet workshops:

"It was just the best. Pushed me well beyond my comfort zone and that always does me good. Thank you so much, Scott. I look forward to hearing about any other classes you teach. Count me in!" Mary Lynn Stafford

"You opened a whole new world for me! Something can be said for ignorance is bliss. More can be said for becoming aware of an unexpected present and future of shared learning, participation, friendship, and FUN! I enjoyed all of our class exercises and exchanges." Claire Camargo-Vogel

"What a great learning experience. I got everything I had hoped for from the class and more." Karen Foster

On the Jump-Start Your Creative Engines workshops:

"I have to thank you for being a pivotal influence in my life. I never dreamed I would get so much out of your workshop. I have not shared writings in a forum before, or had as much enthusiastic response as this group experience afforded me. And you are the brilliance behind the catalog of tools I now have to help me unlock the voice within. I will feel forever indebted to you and the energy you put into bringing me out of the shadows, and into a new light." Melissa Greenwell

"What a fantastic workshop! Well organized, PLENTIFUL and provocative. When I do community workshops, I tend to fear that I am talking down to adult artists and so don't bring so much. You showed me more than just a big marvelous bunch of creative ideas! I cannot thank you enough." Katherine Durham Oldmixon

"Not only did you turn on my inner poet but you also gave me realistic and yet encouraging advice! I loved the workshop. I also loved that you were able to have us participate but it felt nonthreatening. I usually get a little nervous when I have to read something I wrote in a group of strangers but you managed to make it feel safe. Thanks for that!" Melinda Brinkley

On other classes and workshops:

"I have been very impressed with your class. You are an excellent teacher. I have learned a lot from your class. People have made several comments about how much my poetry has improved. I know that it's because of what I've learned in your class. Thank you so much for being here for all of us." Cindy Zilinek

"I have had, in one form or another, eleven creative writing teachers/workshop leaders. And you have been the best teacher of them all. Your insights and the time you give to your students are simply phenomenal. Whatever you're getting paid, it isn't enough..." Mark Cohen

"I probably have every poetry writing book known to man--and Scott's lessons are better than any of my books--by far." Kathleen McCormick

Am I thrilled to hear such remarks? You bet!