The BrainTrust is where your creative sparks ignite and grow into something real on the page. It’s a space we dreamed up, but we believe in its power, and here’s why:

🔹 Everyone has a braintrust—not just artists, but anyone who engages with creativity, though artists may tap into it more often.

🔹 Your braintrust might be working overtime without you realizing it. If your job requires creative energy, you might be spending your “savings” on work projects instead of your own artistic dreams. Writing clever marketing copy? Leading art activities for others? Your braintrust could be serving everyone but you.

🔹 Everything you see, hear, or do adds fuel to your braintrust. Maybe it’s an idea, an image, a rhythm, or a color pattern. Whether it sits for 30 seconds or 30 years, it gathers momentum inside, bouncing off other ideas—imagine it’s having a blast with friends at an endless party.

🔹 The braintrust is also where we store play. It’s where you let your imagination run free without judgment or restriction.

Our BrainTrust sessions are a break from the overly serious side of poetry. Sure, poetry is a literary art, but it doesn’t have to be locked away in academia. That’s why we make these workshops colorful, collaborative, and wide-ranging in topics—some might surprise you with how un-scholarly they are.

Join us, and write something that shatters rules and breaks hearts. We dare you.

🔹 A Zoom account (You can sign up for free here)
🔹 Reliable internet connection
🔹 A notebook and pen, computer, or phone for writing
🔹 For the best experience, we recommend a webcam, microphone, and ring light, but you're welcome to keep your camera and mic off. We also use the chat feature to stay connected.
🔹 Closed captioning is provided for accessibility.

At The Poetry Lab, everyone is welcome—whether you're a first-time poet, a busy parent, a high school student, an MFA holder, an architect, or an artist of any genre or medium. If you’re ready to write, you have a place here! We encourage a diverse, inclusive environment where creativity thrives. Be sure to check out our Community Agreements to learn more about how we foster a supportive space for all.

Our classes are highly interactive, offering plenty of chances to engage. You’ll have opportunities to read aloud, ask questions, join discussions, respond to polls, use the chat, and share your new writing at the end of each session. We encourage live attendance to fully immerse yourself in the experience and make the most of what our classes have to offer.

To register, simply follow the registration links to our secure checkout page. We accept all major credit cards and PayPal. After enrolling, you'll receive an immediate receipt, followed by an email with you class Zoom link.

🔹 Please make sure to enter a valid email at checkout.
🔹 If you don't immediately see an email with your Zoom link, check your Junk folder for an email from: jedi@thepoetrylab.com!

Another way to sign up for BrainTrust classes is to become a VIP Member. Members receive discounts on workshops, early registration to events, and automatic enrollment in every monthly BrainTrust!

Plus, you'll be supporting The Poetry Lab's mission to foster creativity and connection in a vibrant community of writers. Sign up today!

We strongly encourage live attendance for the best experience, recordings are not always immediately available and may take some time to prepare. If you’ve registered but can’t attend, please email us to request the recording. We’ll do our best to get it to you, but it’s not guaranteed as these are live, one-time classes.

There is no make-up policy for missed classes. We may be able to provide the class recording upon request (see above 👆). Here is our complete policy on missed classes.

Full refunds are available up to 72 hours before a course or class begins. See our full refund policy here. If you are unsatisfied with your course and want to request a refund, please contact us.

Absolutely! Please check your time zone against ours as we post everything in Pacific Time PT/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−08:00) to ensure you can attend class at the correct time. All of our classes are offered in English at this time, with closed captioning provided.