April Plans: we open to the public for Poetry Month?! (Sort of!)

Hi Friends!

It’s National Poetry Month and Financial Literacy Month, a coincidence that’s probably not a cautionary tale😓 Whatever the case, listen. What I mean to say is… we love poetry, we love our community, and we know budgets are tight so, this month, we’re opening select events and Discord channels to the public!

Just use this invite to access the public areas of our Discord and bring your friends to…

✨Public!✨ Poetry Month Extravaganza
Ready for an April poetry splash-out? We post 2 poetic forms + prompts weekly and challenge you to try: 10 forms, 10 prompts. How many can you complete?
✨Public!✨ Volta! — A Poetry Masterclass w/ Jane Wong
A generative craft workshop that deep-dives into the volta and what Jane calls “the ending after the ending.”
✨Public!✨ Guided Writing Studio
Fun generative sessions to shake off the mental cobwebs and start some new pieces. Invite your friends! All levels of writer welcome.
✨Public!✨ Firelight Readaround
Calling all poets! All genres welcome in our online community readings but this month’s will spotlight poetry. Come meet a new poetry pal or bring one!

Of course, we’ll still have members-only benefits so scroll down to see what you’re missing or just…

Become a Member!

All the below takes place in our Discord, some in members-only areas. All times US Eastern.

✨ PUBLIC EVENTS ✨

Poetry Month Extravaganza!

✨Open to the public!✨

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Starting April 1, poets Dani Kuntz & Emily Afifi will post about two poetic forms each week and challenge you to try them! Join the discussion and share your work in our warm, supportive community 🔥10 forms, 10 prompts🔥Can you complete them all?

In the public #poetry-prompts-2026 channel of our Discord.

Volta! — A Poetry Masterclass w/ Jane Wong

✨Open to the public!✨ In the #public-events channel of our Discord!

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On Sunday, April 19 8 PM ET, join us for a generative craft workshop with superstar poet Jane Wong! We’ll get into new possibilities for the volta and what Jane calls “the ending after the ending.”

”The volta, the ‘turn’ in a poem, is a central moment of bewilderment — moving the reader in a new direction. What kinds of voltas are possible in a poem? Leading toward a conversation about how to end our poems, we will draw upon voltas from poets like Lucille Clifton and Marie Howe.”

Jane Wong is the author of the memoir Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City (Tin House, 2023). She also wrote two poetry collections: How to Not Be Afraid of Everything (Alice James, 2021) and Overpour (Action Books, 2016). She is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize and fellowships and residencies from the U.S. Fulbright Program, Harvard's Woodberry Poetry Room, Artist Trust, Hedgebrook, Ucross, Loghaven, the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, and others. She grew up in a Chinese American take-out restaurant on the Jersey shore and is an Associate Professor at Western Washington University. Her poetry installations which engage haunting and nourishment have been exhibited at the Frye Art Museum, the Richmond Art Gallery, and the Asian Art Museum.

Guided Writing Studio

✨Open to the public!✨

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Spring cleaning fever? Before you dump out your closets and impulse-buy more plants (let’s be honest) to forget to water, invest that restless energy somewhere lasting: into fresh new pages! Editor Autumn Watts is back with another Guided Writing Studio, leading us through fast, form-oriented prompts for a brisk kick in the pants.

✨ Open to the public!✨
Morning session: Tuesday, April 14 9AM ET
Evening session: Wednesday, April 15 8PM ET

A generative group writing session in the #public-events channel of our Discord

Firelight Readaround

✨Open to the public!✨ so invite your friends to come!

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On Sunday, April 26 at 8PM ET, share your work with our warm supportive community! This month will include a spotlight on poetry, but writers of all genres are welcome :-) Sign up to read HERE.

Grow your confidence and stagecraft through our online community readings: every last Sunday.

OUR CORE PROGRAMMING

Accountability Sessions

Write with other members online! No excuses. No distractions.

Drop-in Coaching

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Fridays: 1-2PM ET
Sundays: 6-7PM ET

1-on-1 video chats with our editors for story development and writing advice.

Progress Studios

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Mondays: 1-2 PM ET

Weekly check-ins to convert Writing Life goals into plans. Problem-solve for Mentored Milestones or just pop in. Open to Sassy and Fancy members.

Mentored Milestones Check-in

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On Wednesday, April 1 at 7PM ET, quit FOOLing around (womp womp) with your writing dreams! Join our Mentored Milestones Monthly Check-In to transform those big ambitions (😰) into small, check-off-able action steps (🙌🏻) .

•⁠ Map out goals in our Milestones Journals.
•⁠ ⁠Leave with scheduled to-do lists in your Action Steps Tracker.
•⁠ ⁠For weekly check-ins, Sassy and Fancy members can attend Progress Studios.
•⁠ ⁠Or work asynchronously at your own pace.

Prompts

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Generative prompts from flash fiction superstar Kathy Fish on the 1st and 15th!

Creatively blocked? Stretch those writing muscles!

COMMUNITY NEWS

Eleanor Ball has a poem in Haven Spec! Plus she’s launched Backlist Lit, a blog dedicated to independent backlist literature. Taking book reviews and guest posts!
Catherine Buck has a micro in Trash Cat Lit!
David Elliot Eisenstat has poems everywhere these days: underscore, Stanchion, Stone Circle Review, AND in this micropoem anthology 🏆
Editor Steve talks craft w/ editors Derek Askey (The Sun) and Rachel Dillon (Ploughshares) over at Forever Workshop. This month: on pacing + more.
And Joy Manning interviews speculative superstar Chloe N. Clark about her latest collection Every Galaxy a Circle over at Cleaver!

RECAP

ICYMI: In March, we chatted with Tolani Akinola about how to finish (and sell) a debut novel!

Check out the carousel here for more tips!

OK that’s it! We have more plans for May so we’ll see you around✌️