Writing Hope: Turning to the Page in Difficult Times // with Angie Ebba

This six-week class will help us turn our fears, frustrations, and worries into words that help remind us of the positive in the world.

Our world is shifting, and between environmental concerns, political issues, humanitarian crises, and our own personal changes and shifts, it can be easy to become overwhelmed.

However, for thousands of years, poetry has been a vehicle of hope.

This six-week class will help us turn our fears, frustrations, and worries into words that help remind us of the positive in the world. Through a variety of readings and texts, online discussions, and creative writing exercises, participants will investigate the topic of hope, how poetry can elicit hope, and ways to use our words to inspire and uplift. We will explore these themes through various forms of poetry including free verse, haibun, pantoum, tricube, collaborative writing and others, and we will investigate the use of poetic devices such as metaphor, repetition and rhyme, and more to enhance our writing. 

Each week will include a variety of readings, both of poetry on the topic of hope or that brings hope, as well as essays and other texts discussing hope and writing.

Each week will have a free-writing exercise, discussion boards to talk with your peers and build community, and at least three poetry prompts to choose from. 

Week by Week

Week One ​will begin with an overview of why writing is important and how to keep (or start!) writing when our worlds are turning upside-down. We will talk about practices for writing when things are hard, and how to take care of ourselves. We will also do introductions of ourselves, our daily worlds, and our creative practices.

Week Two will discuss the role of poetry in the world and how our creative practices can be a source of hope and inspiration. We will use repetition in our writing to create musicality and rhythm and will talk about how this poetic device can be used to emphasize key themes in our writing.

Week Three will discuss metaphor, both as a poetic device and also as a powerful tool for explaining difficult concepts. We will talk about the difference between hope and toxic positivity, and how to write hope while also not ignoring what is going on around us. We will experiment with writing metaphor and including it in our poetry.

Week Four will introduce the idea of ‘glimmers’ or small moments of joy. We will discuss ways to focus on these both in our lives and in our writing. We will practice with the technique of ‘small noticings’ and incorporate strong sensory details into our poems.

Week Five will focus on the narrative poem. We will talk about the importance of telling our stories, and how we can use our personal stories to generate hope. 

Week Six​ will bring the various writing we’ve done throughout the course together and will include a collaborative poem as well. We will reflect on what we’ve gained and learned over the last several weeks and ways we plan to continue this work. There will be the opportunity to meet via Zoom for a reading of our work, and to gather in community.

This course includes readings by poets such as: Emily Dickenson, Maya Angelou, Leonard Peltier, Naomi Shihab Nye, Andrea Gibson, Lucille Clifton, Anis Mojgani, Audre Lorde, Gregory Orr, Joy Harjo, Rudy Francisco, Shane Koyczan and more.

Who Should Take This Class

This class is ideal for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the world, going through a difficult period in life, or processing change, as well as those wishing to expand their creative practices or learn/practice various types of poetry. All levels of writers are welcome.

If cost is a barrier, we offer scholarships based on income as well as some partial scholarships for people living with serious illness and/or disability or people of color. Please fill out this scholarship application form so that we can find the best way to make the class accessible to you.

Please note: Registration closes Sept. 5, 2025—five (5) days before the class start date.

What former students have to say:

• "I thought the instructor was marvelous - organized, prompt, thoughtful, and dedicated to giving what read as honest and notable feedback."
• "Thank you so much for providing the content and a warm atmosphere."
• "Angie's structure, readings, invitations and responses really helped me use poetry to process."
• "Angie was warm and encouraging."

Format

This is an online class, hosted on the online teaching platform Wet Ink with one optional Zoom session held on October 18, 11am-12pm PST / 2pm-3pm EST. 

The Wet Ink platform allows students to log in on their own time to post comments and critiques directly to authors’ works. You can also view deadlines, track revisions, and watch video or listen to audio. At the end of the class, each student will receive an email that contains an archive of all their content and interactions. Wet Ink is mobile-friendly and there are no browser requirements.

About the Teacher

​Angie Ebba is a queer, disabled writer, educator, and performer who teaches writing workshops and performs online and across the United States. She has poetry published in Closet Cases, Queering Sexual Violence, Moon Water, and multiple other anthologies and literary magazines. She is a published essayist focusing on writing about disability and chronic illness, relationships and sexuality, and body positivity. She believes in the power of words to help us gain a better understanding of ourselves, to build connections and community, and to make personal and social change. Angie can be found online at rebelonpage.com