About the Classes
This class series is designed to nurture creativity and community among writers of all levels.
At The Poetry Lab, we believe in the transformative power of creative spaces built by poets, for poets. These workshops are more than just writing sessions—they’re opportunities to connect, grow, and discover new ways to express yourself alongside a supportive community. We understand the importance of spaces where creativity thrives, where your voice is valued, and where the collective energy of like-minded individuals inspires everyone to keep writing.
When you attend a BrainTrust session, you’ll start with a short craft talk, followed by guided prompts and in-class writing time. You’ll leave every session with new writing and a renewed sense of inspiration. Each workshop is led by a trusted member of our team, who has been trained in our inclusive and cooperative approach to learning.
We want you to know that you are not alone on your creative journey. The Poetry Lab is a place where writers from all backgrounds and experiences can come together to write, read, learn and collaborate together.
Everyone is welcome here: first-time poets, moms and dads, high school students, architects, professors, restaruant workers, gamers, and artists of all genres and mediums are welcome to attend as long as they are ready to write some new sh*t!
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It’s My Body and I’ll _______ If I Want To: Writing as Reclamation
ONE-TIME CLASS
CLASS DESCRIPTIONIt’s My Body and I’ll ______ If I Want To is a generative workshop on reclaiming bodily autonomy through poetry. In this session, we’ll explore the right to choose—whether to participate, to celebrate, or to abstain—without shame. We’ll redefine pleasure, pride, and boundaries, pushing back against societal norms that try to dictate our bodies' possibilities. Through a series of prompts, we’ll use poetry as a way to revel, resist, and rewrite our narratives on our own terms.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
5:30pm PT to 7:30pm PT
CLASS CULTURE📹 This class will be recorded. The replay will be available for 30 days after the live session.
👋 This class is held in a live Zoom session, it is not a webinar. You will be able to use the chat, be seen on camera, raise your hand and ask questions to the instructor in real time.
🎉 This class is interactive, student participation is encouraged.
➡ Read more about how we learn.
➡ Understand our Sliding Scale.
INSTRUCTOR BIOTalicha J. is a Black queer poet and teaching artist. She has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and is a Collaborating Fellow with The Poetry Lab. She is the author of Falling in Love with Picking Myself Up (2015). Her chapbook, Taking Back the Body, is now out with Beyond the Veil Press (2024). Talicha J. facilitates monthly generative workshops online. Her work can be found on the Button Poetry YouTube channel and in several literary journals.
Let’s make it official!
Ready to make the BrainTrust an official part of your creative practice?
For just $35/month, your VIP Membership sustains The Poetry Lab's accessibility mission while also providing you with automatic access to our monthly BrainTrust workshops—no need to sign up each time. You'll also enjoy exclusive discounts on courses and members-only events, all designed to help you build a consistent, sustainable writing practice. Join today and become a Very Important Poet!
History of Power: Erasure as a Response to Political Unrest
ONE-TIME CLASS
CLASS DESCRIPTIONPart personal exploration, part historical study, in this class we will read the poems of poets Nicole Sealey, Yusef Komunyakaa, Jillian Weise, Mosab Abu Toha, Jennifer Sperry Steinorth, and Reginald Dwayne Betts to discover how erasure and ekphrastic techniques developed as direct responses to political unrest. In this two-hour, generative space, we will use these techniques as frameworks for exploring our own histories with erasure and marginalization. We will discuss the impact of erasure on our bodies and engage with prompts that encourage us to reclaim our narrative and our power.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
5:30pm PT to 7:30pm PT
CLASS CULTURE📹 This class will be recorded. The replay will be available for 30 days after the live session.
👋 This class is held in a live Zoom session, it is not a webinar. You will be able to use the chat, be seen on camera, raise your hand and ask questions to the instructor in real time.
🎉 This class is interactive, student participation is encouraged.
➡ Read more about how we learn.
➡ Understand our Sliding Scale.
rELATED RESOURCESINSTRUCTOR BIOAllison Baldwin is a poet, essayist, and disability advocate. Her work has been published in print and online, most recently in the Right to Life Anthology by Folkways Press and Elixir Verse Equinox: Stella Verses published by Elixir Verse Press. Allison holds an MFA in Poetry and Poetic Medicine from Dominican University of California and is a columnist for The Poetry Lab where she shares bimonthly articles about poetic craft. She also recently started facilitating virtual workshops with other members of her writing community.
Why a Sliding Scale?
At The Poetry Lab, we believe an arts education is for everyone, and our sliding scale ensures that no writer is left behind. By choosing a payment tier that fits your current circumstances, you contribute not only to your own creative growth but also to a thriving community of poets and writers.
By reaching these goals together, we can ensure the sustainability of The Poetry Lab’s workshops, provide fair compensation to our teaching artists, and continue offering meaningful, accessible opportunities to all writers.
No matter what you pay, you’ll receive the same engaging, high-quality workshop experience. Thank you for supporting The Poetry Lab and for showing up for your creativity!
Can you help us reach our monthly goals? Here’s how each payment tier supports our community:
Want to support The Poetry Lab even more?
The best way to sustain our mission—and your creative practice—is by becoming a VIP Member. For just $35/month, you’ll:
Skip the Sign-Up Hassle: Automatic access to every monthly BrainTrust workshop.
Save on Courses: Enjoy exclusive discounts on 4-week classes and The Feedback Circle.
Stay Connected: Gain access to members-only events and office hour sessions with our staff.
Your membership makes a direct impact: it keeps workshops thriving, ensures fair pay for teaching artists, and helps writers like you show up and create.
Ready to invest in yourself and a community that values your creativity?