Living Room Craft Talks
The Art of Revision
with Ellen Bass
A Self-Guided Online Series
“Whenever I remake a song . . . it is myself that I remake.” —W. B. Yeats
You don’t need a body of work that you want to revise to start learning about revision. Revision is not a separate entity, but an extension of the original writing process. There’s no clear divide between writing and revision. It’s all writing!
As we study the art of revision, I’ll be talking about the many aspects of the craft that will help you write stronger first drafts. So wherever you are—from beginner to very experienced—these talks will help you develop the skills you need to take a leap forward in your poetry.
You do not need to have taken the Living Room Craft Talk series previously offered to take this series.
Highlights
- 12+ Total Hours of Talks
- 200+ PDF Pages of Poem Revisions, Many Never Before Seen and By Some of Today’s Finest Poets
- Revision Exercises
- PDF Resource Guides and Book Lists
- 90 Days Viewing Time
- Optional: Download and Watch Offline
From Past Students
Many poets have the experience of generating a first draft that has a lot of vitality, a lot of potential. Though you’re pleased with your promising start, you’re not sure how to take it from that early draft to a finished poem that is as strong as you can possibly make it. Or, you may have a first draft that you’re not that excited about. And yet you sense there’s a poem lurking in there, but don’t quite know how to lure it out. Or, you may have a poem that you’ve taken through numerous drafts and it’s coming along well, but you don’t feel confident about the final decisions: should I keep this line or take it out? is this image strange and wonderful or is it just strange? did I say too much or not quite enough? what is the heart of this poem? And on and on! And, the overarching concerns: how am I making these decisions? what questions do I ask myself? what questions do I ask the poem?
Revision is not only a challenge to improve an early draft of a poem, it’s a sincere exploration, an active search for personal transformation. The self is in dialogue with the self. Similar to the way in which we are transformed in relationship with another person, we have the potential to be transformed in relationship to the poem. And we have the opportunity to do that through the craft.
These talks are very practical, offering strategies that you can apply to revising your own poems with more awareness.
Much of what I’ll be presenting in these talks will apply to fiction and non-fiction writers as well.
Schedule
During these craft talks, we’ll be studying the process of contemporary poets who have generously agreed to share their drafts, including drafts from Rick Barot, Traci Brimhall, Jericho Brown, Kwame Dawes, Toi Derricotte, Natalie Diaz, Frank X. Gaspar, Marie Howe, Alicia Ostriker, Barbara Ras, Anna Scotti, Tim Seibles, Patricia Smith, and Gary Young. I’ll also be sharing drafts of my own poems and including some inspiring work from my students.
Because the process of revision is organic and can’t be separated neatly into topics, each week emphasizes several aspects of revision, but also includes discussion of other aspects. Also, I talk about some elements in an introductory way in one week and then in more depth another week. And because I respond to questions, we sometimes circle back to discuss a poem or strategy that was presented in a previous week. That said, by the end of the series you’ll have had the opportunity to learn about most of the essentials.
Week 1
- An Overview of Revision
- Decluttering–Identifying What Is Not Needed
- Vivid and Essential Detail
- Precise Diction
- Getting to the Heart of the Poem
Week 2
- Expansion
- Discovery–The Voyage into the Unknown
- Complexity
- The Poem as Transformation
- Decluttering
Week 3
- Discernment
- Beginnings and Endings
- Metaphor
- Structure/Form
- Chronology
Week 4
- Lines and Stanzas
- Compression
- Endings
- Form
- Diction
- Image
- Form and Structure
Week 5
- Discovering What the Poem Is Really About
- Listening to What the Poem Is Trying to Tell You
- Titles
- Syntax
- Refine, Refine, Refine
Week 6
- When is Enough Enough?
- From Reportage to Poem
- Adding Music
- Enlarging the Scope of the Poem
- Digging Deeper into the Implications of a Poem
- Guidelines for Creating a Supportive Writing Workshop
Logistics for the Series
Technical Format for the Series:
The Living Room Craft Talks: The Art of Revision were originally recorded as a Zoom craft talk series. Now, it is available as a self-guided, multimedia series that is available online through a participant-only portal on this website.
Your Registration Email:
The email address that you enter into the billing information on the following registration pages will be the email address that is sent your confirmation email. If you wish the series materials to be sent to a different email address than the one you use for billing, please email Jen at jen@ellenbass.com and provide her with the alternative email address.
While signing up for this talk series you will be asked to be added to Ellen’s email list (this is how all of the talk series information is sent). You are able to cancel your subscription to Ellen’s email list at any time, but please keep in mind that if you cancel your subscription before all of the talk series emails are sent you will not receive those final talk emails.
Emails About This Series and Your Registration:
Once your registration payment has been processed, you will be sent an automated email from jen@ellenbass.com confirming your spot in the series and giving you important information to access the series materials. If that email does not reach you within 1 hour, please check your spam, junk, promotions, or trash folders as the email could have been misdirected.
All emails about this series are sent automatically from jen@ellenbass.com. To make sure that you receive those emails, which include a confirmation with details on how to access the series materials, please add jen@ellenbass.com to your contact list before you register. Not sure how? Click the button below.
Registration Options
Please read through the details for each of the registration option so that you are clear about the differences between them.
If you have questions about the Downloadable Edition and whether your device will be able to download the talks, please read the Downloading Tips and FAQs.
Access to the Series
Registration gives you immediate access to this series. After registration, please either go to the My Account link at the top of the website or the link for your purchased series at the bottom of the website to access the series. You will also receive an automatic confirmation email that discusses how to access the series.
Online access is only for 90 days, whether you purchase the Standard Access version or the Downloadable Edition. For the Downloadable Edition, you must download the craft talks and handouts to your device within that 90 day period for you to have access to the craft talks and handouts on your device after your access to the craft talk portions of this website expires in 90 days.
Scholarships
Full and partial scholarships available for individuals with financial need for Standard Access only. If applying for a scholarship, please do NOT register for the series in advance. Fill out the form found at the following link to apply: https://www.ellenbass.com/events/living-room-craft-talk-series/scholarship-application/
Questions and Concerns:
If you have any questions or concerns, please email Jen at jen@ellenbass.com.
Cancellations and Refunds:
If within 72 hours of purchasing the Downloadable Edition you find that you cannot download the craft talks, contact Jen and she can move your registration to the Extended Access option and refund you the difference. No other refunds are offered.