Masterclass: ‘Poetry Editing’ with Mary Jean Chan

We’re pleased to offer a free, 3-hour, online Masterclass led by the talented Mary Jean Chan! Sign up here! Please be mindful when booking. This is a workshop for writers of colour based in Scotland.


Poetry Editing

Putting pen to paper is often the hardest step of writing – but what happens next? SBWN is proud to present a Masterclass with Mary Jean Chan who will lead us through a series of reading and writing exercises focused on poetry writing, revision, editing and feedback. This Masterclass will ask participants to reflect on their writing processes and strategies in order to become better editors of their own work. Together, we will offer constructive criticism for our peers. We will also have the opportunity to spend time discussing the ins-and-outs of publishing and professional writing, drawing upon Mary Jean Chan’s rich experiences as an award-winning writer, editor and teacher.

The Details

  • This event will be three hours long, as opposed to our regular 2-hour workshops.
  • The first half of the workshop will include writing prompts, exercises and discussions about editing and revision.
  • The workshop includes a 20-30min comfort break
  • The second half of the workshop will focus on providing peer feedback and editing; participants will be asked to send one poem to us in advance of the workshop.
  • The event will conclude with a 30 minute Q+A discussion between Mary Jean Chan and the participants about any aspect of professional writing, poetry and publishing. Please think of questions you would like to ask.
  • A maximum of 15 spaces, open to writers at all levels.
  • This workshop will be hosted online using Webex (instructions will be sent to participants closer to workshop date).
  • All SBWN events will adhere to our safer spaces policy. You can learn more about our policy here. If you have any accessibility requirements or needs then please let us know at the earliest opportunity so we can do our best to accommodate.
  • Please only book a ticket if you can commit to the session, and cancel it if your plans change. Those who book a ticket and don’t come will be asked to refrain from booking a spot for the next SBWN workshop. Thank you for understanding.

About Mary Jean Chan

Mary Jean Chan is the author of Flèche (Faber & Faber, 2019), which won the 2019 Costa Book Award for Poetry and was shortlisted for the 2020 Dylan Thomas Prize and the 2020 Jhalak Prize. She has been shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem twice, and received an Eric Gregory Award in 2019. In Spring 2020, Chan was guest co-editor at The Poetry Review. She is currently Lecturer in Creative Writing (Poetry) at Oxford Brookes University and lives in London. Photo Credit: Adrian Pope.

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