Three Poets on Revision: A Spectrum
“Revision is the poet’s most difficult, demanding, and dangerous work.”
– Kim Addonizio & Dorianne Laux, The Poet’s Companion
For many poets, the process of revision is a fraught one. Teachers emphasize its necessity, and that it’s what separates the “real writers” from the hacks. You had your freewheeling fun when creating that draft, and now it’s time to get serious. Put in the work, interrogate every word to make sure it’s behaving and pulling its weight, and take a step back to make sure you’re not babbling or being self-indulgent. The results of revision should be superlative-worthy: Coleridge’s “best words in best order” or Yeats’ “perfectly made box.”
But how do we revise? Is there a specific method we should follow? And how much revision is enough? When is a poem done? These questions don’t have easy answers, and there will be a different answer for every poet and every poem. But I don’t think we need to forever feel like we’re fumbling in the dark. And I think the act of revising can be as thrilling and intuitive as writing a first draft.
I’ve been lucky enough to hear what several serious, celebrated poets have had to say about their unique revision processes. These talks and readings have been immensely helpful to me in coming to my own understanding of revision, and I’d like in turn to pass that help along to you. Beyond giving you very concrete suggestions for what to actually do, these perspectives can also help relieve some of the pressure I described above: revision doesn’t have to feel quite so high-stakes, and it can be exhilarating.
This course will focus on the following three poets. You can attend all the sessions, or catch individual sessions on an a la carte basis.
Brenda Hillman. Brenda’s method, while it can certainly be laborious (in the physical sense of the word), comes out of her work with hypnosis and can facilitate access to your subconscious knowledge of the poem. It’s not for those looking for a quick and easy way to revise, but when I heard her talk about it I felt an immense sense of relief.
Russell Edson. I once attended a talk where I heard Edson claim that he doesn’t revise, at all: a poem either works or you go and write another one. It’s simple but after diving into his interviews and essays I found he does elaborate, and I have some caveats you might want to think about before deciding not to revise. I think this one will lead to a great discussion.
Natalie Goldberg. Goldberg is known for her Zen-inspired advice to keep your hand moving as you freewrite and seek out your material. What’s less-often discussed is her revision method where she still recommends dismissing the proper, logical mind.
After looking at these three poets and taking some time to try out/consider their methods on our own, we’ll come back together for a wrap-up discussion on May 30.
As a helpful companion to this series, I recommend purchasing access to my “Finding Guideposts for Your Writing” talk, if you haven’t heard it already. A grounded, deep sense of your identity and goals as a poet is the foundation for developing a revision process that works for you.
Schedule:
All classes take place from 12:30 – 2:30 PM EDT (New York time). Recordings will be provided to all who sign up.
Saturday, April 11, 2026: Brenda Hillman
Saturday, April 25, 2026: Russell Edson
Saturday, May 9, 2026: Natalie Goldberg
Saturday, May 30, 2026: Wrap-Up Discussion (Note: while it is possible to sign up for just this ending session, I don’t recommend doing so without attending at least one of the others as well.)
Have these dates passed by the time you’re reading this? For at least awhile, I’m letting those interested purchase the recordings after the fact–just purchase the class(es) you’d like to see. Note that this offer may not always be available.
Where: Zoom
Cost: A package including all the sessions is $60. Individual sessions are $25 each.
Instructor: Meg Hartmann
What You Need: Suggested readings will be sent to you when you sign up. Please also bring a draft of a poem you want to revise to the Hillman and Goldberg sessions, as we’ll do a 30-minute silent coworking session where you’ll get a chance to try out the methods before we come back to continue the discussion.