Teaching Artists near the beginning of their career are invited to design and lead an original poetry workshop as a part of the Poetry Foundation Library’s long-running workshop series, Forms & Features. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a proposed workshop on any topic of their choice, as long as it engages poetry in a meaningful way. Visiting Teaching Artists will receive an honorarium of $750 for teaching the 2 hour virtual workshop.


One Teaching Artist will be featured each month, January-June 2025. Visiting Teaching Artists will also be offered the opportunity to contribute a craft essay based on their workshop to the Poetry & Practice series on  Poetry Foundation website, and will be invited to participate in a virtual reading with other Visiting Teaching Artists. Additional honoraria will be offered for these additional opportunities ($500 and $1000, respectively).

The current call is for an online workshop with international reach. Past Visiting Teaching Artists are asked to wait 2 years before submitting another application. Applicants are limited to one submission per cycle. Please direct any questions to library@poetryfoundation.org.


Who We Are Looking For:
 

  • Emerging poetry teaching artists, defined as having 0-2 full-length books published. Those working in multiple disciplines and/or media are encouraged to apply. A degree in Creative Writing is welcome, but not required. A publication history is welcome, but not required. A demonstrated knowledge of poetry, and enthusiasm for art-making and teaching are encouraged.
  • Poets who view teaching as an extension of their creative practice.
     

Parts of the Application:
 All attachments should be formatted LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_PARTOFAPPLICATION
 

  • 300-500 words describing your approach to teaching poetry, including the relationship between creativity, community, and your teaching practices.
  • Teaching Artist Resume, including any relevant experience, education, and practices.
  • Original Lesson Plan for a 2-hour online poetry workshop, including a list of readings and other materials. Teaching Artists should not include their own creative work in the list of readings. Applicants are encouraged to keep the focus of the workshop narrow, and develop one or two activities, rather than provide a large number of possible prompts/activities. While materials and elements of the workshop may draw on the poetry and pedagogical practices and lesson plans of others, the workshop as a whole must be original. All proposals should provide attributions where appropriate.


 

Poetry Foundation