What we’re about
Hello. I'm glad you found us. We are a weekly poetry workshop that meets in person every Tuesday Night in Champaign, Illinois, USA. We use MeetUp for scheduling only. If you are not local or have no intention of going to one of our workshops, please do not put in a request to join our group. If, on the other hand, you are local to C-U, come to a one of the MeetUps and introduce yourself. Due to COVID-19, face to face workshops are suspended until a safer time.
Explore your passion for words and join us as we share poetry, favorite authors, personal stories and how we can make poetry a dynamic part of the community experience.
For those new to the group - the main purpose of the group is to bring in poems we've written, share them with the group and get honest feedback so we can make the poems better. Some people attend so they will be inspired to write more. In order to inspire people, we occasionally have weekly topics so folks can be exposed to new and different kinds of poetry. Or sometimes a weekly prompt which may inspire or cajole others to write. There is no requirement at all to attend a meeting. Everyone's welcome.
As with any group, occasionally conflict comes to ours. Though we do not have official rules or by-laws, at CUPoetry, the main purpose of the group is to bring in poems we've written, share them with the group and get honest feedback so we can make the poems better. We strive to create an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable sharing their work. One of the purposes of poetry is to make people think about difficult topics with which they may not be comfortable, and sometimes those topics lead us into conversations about the topic instead the poetry. While we do not stifle conversation, we do ask everyone at a CUPoetry meeting or event to show respect for the ideas and feeling of others, even if we disagree. At different times, various members take to roll of organizer or facilitator, but it is everyone’s responsibly to keep the group on task and moving along.
