Class will return in 2025!

Brick Box Paradox: The Complete Introduction to Prose Poetry is an immersive 5-week course on the craft of the prose poem.

But Brick Box Paradox isn’t just a class—it’s a creative journey where you’ll explore groundbreaking work, push your writing boundaries, and experiment with a form that blends the best of poetry and prose. 

Because it’s such a big endeavor, this class is only open once a year and I’m so excited to guide you through live lectures, thought-provoking discussions, and prompted writing time.

Everyone is welcome here: new poets, seasoned poets, fiction writers, creative non-fiction enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the study of this form.  

There are four goals of Brick Box Paradox:

  1. Better understand the form.

  2. Build a library of kick-ass poems.

  3. Form ideas for how you can innovate your own prose poems.

  4. Grant yourself the permission to write.

"Brick Box Paradox was a wonderful class! I was brand new to the form, and it was great to be welcomed into a space where we were given plenty of definitions to help us understand where to begin, but also lots of permission to be creative and think outside the box! The class is a wonderful mix of lecture, reading material, and poetry prompts.”

- Ashley P.

Can’t wait to start reading prose poems?

Here’s my guide to the 4 best craft books and anthologies to get you started! Plus there are links to those other resources I mentioned above. It’s free 👇 just let me know where to send it!

Mark Your Calendar!

5 Weeks:
Class dates will be posted in the Fall of 2025

All lectures are recorded

You will receive access to the online classroom where all recordings and class materials will be posted.

“A prose poem is a fable about an irrational universe.”
— Nancy Eimers

No matter which option you choose, you’ll receive everything included in this class. There’s no penalty for choosing a payment plan, and no additional cost. It’s the same enrollment price for everyone, just split in different ways. 

What’s Included in Class:

  • 5 Poem Packets with over 80 prose poems to read

  • 5 live lectures

  • Class recordings available 

  • Google Classroom Hub

  • Comprehensive Reading lists

  • 2 Additional Prose Poetry Guides

Fully funded scholarships available

“The prose poem is a very special invention, like a chair that flies or a small dish that produces food for forty a people. ”
— David Young

Danielle Mitchell (she/her) is an intersectional feminist, poet, and teaching artist.

She is Founder and Executive Director of The Poetry Lab and author of the prose poem chapbook Makes the Daughter-in-Law Cry, winner of the Clockwise Prize (Tebot Bach, 2017).

Danielle’s poems have appeared in Hayden’s Ferry Review, Vinyl, Four Way Review, Transom, New Orleans Review, Nailed Magazine and others. Recently, she was awarded a 2023 California Creative Corps grant for $50,000 to live/work as an artist!

You can find her on social media as @imaginarydani and learn even more about her at imaginarydani.com

POSTCARD FROM THE HOUSE OF MIRRORS

 On a field of used-to-be grass, my cotton candy is blue & tasteless. I’m always on this field when I love you. We watch the clouds giant maw open, blacken, rain. The field muddies until the only place to hide is the house of mirrors, we get lost for hours, but not once do I call your name. I am frightened in the mirrors that don’t distort me, surprised when my face is just my face. I see the way out now: across the whorl & through the do-si-do. I wish I had worn a longer skirt, but you never wish me to wear a longer skirt (your hands make up for it). A man collects tickets at the exit. You have to pay to get off the ride. The outside smells like horses. Everyone is eating pig’s feet & pumpkin pie. You wrap your arm around my shoulders & pretend we’ve never met. The next time we have sex will be the last time & that’s not too far off from now. We are walking down a dirt path. There’s a pond at the end of it: I can smell the forget from here.

by Danielle Mitchell
Previously published in Connotation Press

I’ve been writing and thinking about prose poems for a while. Here are some free resources already available at TPL for you to check out and see if this form is something you’d like to study. If you prefer to have these emailed to you so you can check them out later, keep scrolling 👇 to the 'Getting Started' section below. I have these resources and a guide to my favorite prose poetry craft books already prepared for you!

Here are reviews for Brick Box Paradox. I love this class and I love the students who’ve taken it so much:

  • “I loved everything about this class. The materials, readings, and prompts were challenging and inspiring. Danielle is a wonderful and caring teacher and she shared her knowledge in such a compelling way. Thank you!”

    - LEO S.

  • “Brick Box Paradox was an awesome way to start reading and writing prose poetry. Danielle is so incredibly passionate and joyful, and it shines through in everything she does! She went above and beyond with the materials for class, with the prompts, and was very generous overall. Sad it was only 4 weeks.”

    - Melissa M.

  • “If you are at all curious about prose or poetry or prose poetry then you should definitely consider this course. Great overview of the form and great poems shared that cover a good range of poets. Danielle is accessible and infectious as an instructor!”

    - Recent Student

  • “Brick Box Paradox left me feeling more fearless about my writing and confident in calling myself a prose poet!”

    - JESSICA C.

  • "My only wish was that I had the opportunity to take an inspired class like this years ago. It made the prose poem (and poetry) accessible and fun! In the 4 weeks, from the lectures to the provided packets and bonus resources...it's an amazing launch pad for anyone curious and/or interested in exploring prose poetry. Brick Box Paradox says it all. “

    - ERICA M.

  • "I wasn't sure if prose poetry would be something I enjoyed or liked writing. It is! More than that, something about the permissive nature of prose poetry has helped me to get over stage fright when I share at open mics. I feel like I grew more as a poet in this 4-week course than I have all year.”

    - REBECCA C.

  • "This course is a must for any writer who is serious about their craft. Danielle Mitchell is a true professional and her first-hand experience with prose poetry is unmatched. Take advantage of this one-of-a-kind course that will expand not only your knowledge of prose poetry but also your skill level as a writer."

    - CARLOS O.