Poetry
Esteban Rodríguez is the author of eight poetry collections—including Dust & Dusk, (Dis)placement, Limbolandia, and most recently, Lotería (Texas Review Press, 2023)—and an essay collection, Before the Earth Devours Us (Split/Lip Press, 2021). His ninth book of poetry, The Lost Nostalgias, is forthcoming from CavanKerry Press in May 2025.
His work has appeared widely in such journals as New England Review, The Gettysburg Review, Washington Square Review, Puerto del Sol, phoebe, Southwestern American Literature, Boulevard, Shenandoah, The Rumpus, TriQuarterly, Seneca Review, Colorado Review, Adroit Journal, Poetry Daily, and American Life in Poetry. Esteban is the interviews editor at the EcoTheo Review, senior book reviews editor at Tupelo Quarterly, and associate poetry editor at AGNI. With Jennifer De Leon and Ben Black, he coedited To Never Have Risked Our Lives: An AGNI Portfolio of Central American and Mexican Diaspora Writing. He lives with his family in south Texas. Visit his website at estebanrodriguezpoetry.com.
Course Description
This poetry workshop will consist of five meetings, each with a theme focusing on a different literary element/technique/movement: imagery, narration, elliptical poetry, confessional poetry, and prose poetry. In addition, participants will practice utilizing literary techniques (similes, metaphors, allusions, etc.) that they can incorporate into their existing poetic styles. Each session will begin with a writing exercise, then move into a deep dive into literary texts that correspond with the themes of the day. The session will end with a workshop of participants’ poems (the class will be divided into four workshop sessions that will begin the second meeting). On the last class day, we will spend time discussing submitting and publishing in literary journals. Feedback will be given by the instructor (and by peers) within class and between meetings, with the goal that participants leave with a better understanding of their craft.