Writers
Community Class: Reading Poetry to Enrich Your Own
This informal class focuses on thoughtful conversation and close-reading skills with optional take-home writing prompts.
GeneralFree (any noted materials fee included) |
Tuition Assistance and Other Policies
Meeting Times
- Tue, 5/19/2026 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tue, 5/19/2026
About
Designed to support the Third Thursday Poetry Open Mic series, the primary goal of this hour-long class is to deepen our skills for close-reading of poems and conversation about them.
We'll take a look at the work of the featured poets at the May 21 Thursday open mic. The instructor, Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Erin Malone, will provide a prompt or two for you to take home and try in your own writing practice.
Details
- There's no need to bring anything other than a notebook and a pen for taking notes in this class, if you like.
- The Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Program was started in 2021 by an ad-hoc group of local poets. It became a non-profit corporation under the fiscal sponsorship of BARN in August 2023.
Class Policies
Ages 16 and up are welcome.
BARN Policies
- View BARN's Cancellation and Refund Policy.
- Tuition Assistance is available. Fill out the application before registering.
- BARN is committed to accessibility. We try to make accommodations when requested; the earlier you contact us, the more likely we can help. Fill out the Accommodation Request Form before any class for which you require an accommodation. Email accessibility@bainbridgebarn.org if you have any questions.
- Sensory Statement: Makerspaces like BARN can be noisy and cluttered, smell strongly, and have bright or flickering lights. BARN is not an allergen-free facility. If you have concerns, please email info@bainbridgebarn.org.
Instructors or Guides
Erin Malone
Erin, Bainbridge Island poet laureate for 2026-27, is the author of Site of Disappearance, a finalist for the National Poetry Series (Ornithopter Press, 2023), Hover (Tebot Bach, 2015), and the chapbook What Sound Does It Make (Concrete Wolf, 2008). Born in New Mexico and raised in Nebraska and Colorado, she earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington. For many years, she’s taught in community spaces as well as at elementary schools and universities. Former editor of Poetry Northwest, Erin’s honors include the Coniston Prize from Radar Poetry and the Robert Creeley Memorial Prize from Marsh Hawk Press. She has received grants and fellowships from Washington State Artist Trust, 4Culture, Jack Straw, and the Colorado Council on the Arts; and residency support from Kimmel-Harding Nelson Center, The Anderson Center, Ucross, Jentel, and Monson Arts. Her poems have appeared in Epoch, FIELD, New Ohio Review, Salamander, Cimarron, Beloit Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. She lives on Bainbridge Island and is married to novelist Shawn Wong.
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