Creative Writing
Adult Class | Registration opens Tuesday, October 20, 2026 8:00 AM EDT
Creative Writing: The Prose Poem.
The prose poem, a relatively recent form, defies definition. A hybrid that looks like prose and reads like poetry, it lacks tradition and has no rules —which offers the writer a great deal of freedom. An opportunity for committed prosers to dip their toes into poetry, memoirists to create short-form series, micro-fiction enthusiasts to tackle the surreal. Stimulating practice for poets already working in other forms. There will be close readings of Arthur Rimbaud, James Wright, Frank X Gaspar, and Russell Edson to discuss and use as models. There will be prompts and occasional timed writings. This class welcomes all levels, previous experience not required. Bring a pen, paper/ tablet, your curiosity, questions and attention.
What You Will Learn:
- Elements of craft and structure that contribute to a work’s success.
- How to use prompts and other generative strategies to overcome blocks.
- How to find, develop and validate your own voice, learn from and support the individuality of others
- Please bring your favorite writing supplies - a notebook and writing utensil, tablet, and/or a laptop.
Lesley Valdes
Lesley Valdes comes to poetry following a career as a print and broadcast arts journalist following posts as classical music critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer; chief critic of the San Jose Mercury News and WTMI, Temple Radio. She holds a degree in piano from the Peabody Conservatory of Music and MFA from the Program for Writers of Warren Wilson College. Awards from the National Arts Journalism Program of the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Institute Ramon LLull of Barcelona, Spain, the New York State Writers Institute. The author of The Starlight Room (Finishing Line Press, 2025).
Other poems can be found in Women’s Voices for Change, Janus, Inverness Poetry Journal, Glint, Shadowgraph and the Curator, among others. A native of Miami, FL, she lives in Philadelphia where she is also an instructor of piano, and guest speaker for the Chamber Music Society of Philadelphia. Lesley’s philosophy of teaching is organic- to work with the interests, needs, strengths and weaknesses of each participant in a constructive, non-fixative manner. To encourage participants to develop a consistent writing practice and community of like-minded colleagues.