to the website and blog of Joanna Preston,
Tasmanaut poet, editor, and freelance creative writing tutor.
Poems
A couple of poems for autumn – one of my earliest published pieces, and a newer piece. Enjoy.
Commentaries
Other People’s Poems – Close Readings, Analyses and Poem Commentaries
To paraphrase Owen Marshall: if you want to know the time, look at the clock’s face. If you want to know how a clock works, you have to take the back off. And that’s what close reading is – taking the time to try and work out what a poem is doing, and how. Drinking it in. Learnings its secrets. Wandering around the poem’s rooms and rumaging through its drawers.
Workshops
Welcome to The Poetry Class
Since 2010 I’ve been running poetry workshops as a freelance creative writing tutor. Below is a basic outline of what to expect in each type of workshop – a sample of the things I regularly offer. Join the Poetry Class mailing list, and be first to hear when new classes open.
To see what classes are currently being offered, click here.
To enrol in a current class, click here.
To be added to the Poetry Class mailing list, click here.
To learn more about the sorts of poetry classes I offer in general, read on.
I am available to run poetry or general creative writing classes for writers’ groups, festivals, and private individuals, and can tailor a workshop to your specific needs.
Continue reading “Workshops”
Blog
A poem for the 10th anniversary
The city and the city I lost two cities, lovely ones … – Elizabeth Bishop The city I love, the city has fallen,brought to its knees amid wreckage and mud.Across the four avenues sirens are calling. …
You never know who’s reading your poem
I had a really amazing experience yesterday morning. Bright and early (6.30 am) I turned my computer on, clicked on a link, and sat down to talk to a group of students from the Crawford International School in Nairobi about The Pride of Lions. Since then I’ve had sporadic emails from people about it. Quite …
Writing Retreat at Sundari
What a superb way to start the writing year! Having been entreated to do so for quite a few years now, I bit the bullet late last year and organised a writing retreat/workshop, which took place over the weekend just past. I had no idea how it would go – I tend to fret about …