The Poetics of Delight Studio

Writing the Pleasure of Observation, Commentary, and Awe.

‘I made myself laugh and so I forgot about the point I was making’ – Campbell McGrath

We have all read and studied poems of great sorrow, deep love, and intellectual probing. But what about delight? How might a poem be served by writing from a place of delight, and what might we learn from the many poets who have reached for delight in their craft? In this generative workshop, we will look at how masters of image, metaphor, tone, and other craft elements have translated delight into their work: how they have delighted in their world, delighted in building a poem, and how they have employed the tools of their craft to convey that delight.

Our models of delight will include the observational specificity of Kobayashi Issa, the tonal immediacy of Frank O’Hara, the intricate metaphors of Elizabeth Bishop, and the explosive language of Sylvia Plath. Beginning with the supposition that delight begins with looking –the joyful intimacy required in taking note of the oddities, small beauties, and particular details of the world around us—we will use the work of these writers as inspiration for our own poems of delight.

This is a fast-paced, asynchronous studio course, accessible to writers in various time-zones and focused on generative and invention writing. By the end of our time together students will have three new poems with peer and tutor feedback, as well as a slew of invention exercises to carry forward into their creative practice. This course is perfect for those who want to jumpstart a new writing project, hone their sense of imagery, metaphor, and voice, and immerse themselves in the pleasure of language.

Studios are 4-week intensive courses. Reading material will be distributed before the course begins. There are no live chats so they are suitable for both UK & International students.

Concessions & Accessibility

To apply for a concessionary rate, please send relevant documentation showing your eligibility for one of our concessions to [email protected]; conditions of eligibility are detailed here. If you have any questions, wish to be added to the waiting list of a sold-out course, or require any form of adjustment to access our courses, please email [email protected]. For more information visit our Online Courses page.

Image credit: @girlwithredhat

About Ellene Glenn Moore View Profile

Ellene Glenn Moore is an American writer living in Zürich. She is the author of How Blood Works (Kent State University Press, 2021), selected by Richard Blanco for the Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize, and Passage (Orison Press, 2025), winner of the Orison Chapbook Prize for Nonfiction. Ellene holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University, an MFA in Poetry from Florida International University, and a BA in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. She has been the recipient of a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Fellowship in Poetry, a scholarship to the New York State Summer Writers Institute, and a residency at The Studios of Key West. Ellene’s poetry, lyric non-fiction, and critical work has appeared in West Branch, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Best New Poets, Poetry Northwest, Brevity, and elsewhere.

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