Spring 2026: Poetry Rising: Voices from Latin America
Welcome to Poetry Rising: Voices from Latin America! We’re so glad you’re here.
This course will dive into the world of Latin American poetry. We’ll read powerful poems, engaging with past and present poets reshaping the craft today. We’ll look at how poets have used language to explore identity, love, revolution, nature, and the search for freedom.
Course material and lesson plans are curated and developed by the teaching artist, Dhayana Alejandrina!
Learning Objectives
- Analyze Themes and Voices in Latin American Poetry: Recognize key themes, images, and voices in Latin American poetry
- Interpret Poetry as Cultural Expression: Understand how poets use their writing to express identity, culture, and resistance
- Apply Poetic Techniques from Latin America: Experiment with poetic techniques found in Latin America
- Compose Original, Inspired Poems: Create original poems that respond to or are inspired by Latin American poets
Requirements
2 pair sessions per month
Attend all live Journey Meetings (see the Engagement Dates section below)
Complete all lessons provided in the course Spring 2026: Writing Our Way to Wellness: A Podcast Journey, Part I
Submit your Final Poetry Portfolio (see the Submissions section below)
Asynchronous Coursework
Complete each lesson in the the following course. As you progress through each lesson, make sure to press complete before moving on to the next.
- Poetry Rising: Voices from Latin America
This course guides mentees and mentors through experimenting with voice, rhythm, and imagery through the lense of Latinx poetry!
Engagement Dates
Participants will attend one Journey Live Meetings each month as part of the course for that cycle.
Spring Cycle Journey Meetings:
Saturday, March 7th, 2-4pm
Saturday, April 4th, 2-4pm
Saturday, May 9th, 1-3pm
Submissions
The final project is designed to help writers actively apply the core concepts, craft skills, and poetic models from the three sections of Poetry Rising: Voices from Latin America.
Writers will produce three original poems, each explicitly inspired by one section’s lessons, plus a short Author’s Introductory Note (reflection) that frames the portfolio.
This culminating creative work represents the writer’s artistic growth, clarity of voice, and developing poetic lineage, integrating observation, language, and embodied identity into a cohesive body of work.
Please look at the Final Project: Three Poems of Voice, Memory, and Transformation section of the course for further information and submission guidelines.
Curriculum
- 5 Sections
- 25 Lessons
- 10 Weeks
- Introduction3
- Roots, Memory and Beginnings7
- 2.1Journey Meeting 1: Recording (03.07.2026)
- 2.2Learning Objectives and Opening Lines
- 2.3Lesson 1: Finding Your Voice: Sor Juana and the Power of Observation
- 2.4Lesson 2: Identity, Freedom & Nationhood: José Martí and Introduction to Line Breaks
- 2.5Lesson 3: Lineage and Emotion: Gabriela Mistral and Strong Endings
- 2.6Writing Exercise 1: Crafting Your Lineage Poem: Bringing Roots, Memory, and Resonance Together
- 2.7Conclusion and Resources
- Modern Voices, Movement and Transformation7
- 3.1Journey Meeting 2: Recording (04.04.2026)
- 3.2Learning Objectives and Opening Lines
- 3.3Lesson 1: Image and Emotion: Pablo Neruda and the Power of Metaphor
- 3.4Lesson 2: Interior Worlds: Angelamaría Dávila | Voice and Tone
- 3.5Lesson 3: Truth and Testimony: Claribel Alegría and Poetry of Witness
- 3.6Writing Exercise 2: Poetic Testimony Project
- 3.7Conclusion and Resources
- Contemporary Latinx Poets and the Emerging Self7
- 4.1Journey Meeting 3: Recording (05.09.2026)
- 4.2Learning Objectives and Opening Lines
- 4.3Lesson 1: Hybrid Identity and Body-voice: Ada Limón
- 4.4Lesson 2: Humor, Honesty and Daily Life: José Olivarez
- 4.5Lesson 3: Diaspora, Memory and Elemental Power: Melania Luisa Marte
- 4.6Writing Exercise 3: Embodied Lines
- 4.7Conclusion and Resources
- Final Project: Three Poems of Voice, Memory, and Transformation1
Instructor
