Comments from Past Students

Poetry Writing: Getting to Good

"And now to tell you just how much I appreciate your gift as a teacher, one who will not allow you to give up and throw in the 'towel'. I am so glad that you gently urged me on beyond what I thought I could do, and make me realize that 'getting to the good' is what it is all about. This was my second go around in the class and I am amazed at how much I gleaned, or is it because as an old girl it just takes me longer? You are amazing in your infinite patience and you possess all the qualities that an excellent teacher should have, I am honored to have been in your class and will always thank you for allowing me to see beyond the mundane. I shall remain committed to 'getting to the good' in every aspect of life." ~ Nanci Rubin, Fredericksburg, VA.

"I have found Laurel's lessons succinct and full of information, and with each rereading providing deeper understanding. 'Getting To Good' has given me basic grasp of poetry writing (and reading). Adding Laurel's critiques, suggestions and ready encouragement have made this course exciting, and challenges me to pursue this path with even great ardor." ~Patricia Jameson, Madison.

"Laurel Yourke's guidance of my poetry has been of enormous benefit to my abilities as a writer. Her insights and suggestions are amazingly candid, profound, and helpful."

"In just a few short weeks, I have learned more about poetry than I thought possible. Even though I've attended classes taught by accomplished poets/professors, not one of them has had the clarity of vision or articulation skills that Laurel possesses. She has the remarkable talent of making the "learning of poetry" accessible. Simply put, she's one of the best teachers I've ever had." ~Rob Bell, Livermore, California

"This is for Unit 5. I have been putting it off because I've enjoyed this course so much and didn't want it to end. Thank you for this course, the feedback, and responses. I've enjoyed all of it and learned plenty." ~Paul Supkoff, Canoga Park, CA

"Overall, I was extremely pleased with the course. I have come out of it with a much better understanding of what makes a poem work. I'm better able to understand (and evaluate) the poems I read, and I also see improvement in my writing. The online material is excellent. I've printed out all of it, and find myself going back to it~~to the exercises, the explanations, and the lists of contemporary poets. Also, I found your criticisms to be on~target. They were succinct and clear, and forced me to do my own work in revising. You didn't rewrite for me, but forced me to think. In short, I'm very glad I took the class. It's given me a big boost forward and inspired me to continue writing. Thanks!" ~Mimi Boral, Austin, Texas

"I entered into this class with no prior poetry~writing experience. By the time I’d gone through lesson1, I was reading books of poetry and actually understanding more of them than ever before. The first thing I got out of this class, early on, was a greater appreciation of poetry, and now I want to read more and more poets. Before this, I’d only written fiction and non~fiction prose. Learning poetry was like learning another language in a way and it’s made me read fiction differently. I’m much more able to identify imagery, etc., in everything I read now. For me this has been very similar to singing. I’ve sung popular music since age 7, but recently I began taking classical singing lessons. I find now that I listen to ALL music with a different ear. That’s what poetry has been life for me. Throughout the class, I was amazed at how you could pinpoint what my poems needed. You always helped me understand why certain parts of poems didn’t feel right to me. Sometimes I still couldn’t fix what was wrong, but at least I was able to understand where I needed improvement. I’m very interested in 'Take Your Characters to Dinner' and several other classes being offered at UW. You guys are the best thing I ever found surfing the Internet!!! Thanks again for a great experience and for helping me tap into my inner poet for the first time." ~Mary Ellen Whitaker, Natick, MA

"Your (Laurel Yourke's) workshops are challenging and stimulating, and I come away with a great deal from them. Analyzing poets like Ammons and Stevens is important for me. I really appreciate how you critique and encourage all of us.” ~Jane Koumoud, Sheboygan, WI

“I like that you keep looking at new ways to say and show us fundamentals. Light bulbs go off for me at unexpected times when you trip different circuits. Thank you for investing your continuing new thought to old subjects. If you were staid, your classes would not be one~tenth as helpful or interesting as they are.” ~Pam Spencer, La Crosse, WI

“As President and then Program Co~Chair, for two years, of a 200 member writers’ group in Winnetka, IL, I’ve heard from between 50 and 75 different speakers who have taught—or tried to—various aspects of craft in every genre: fiction, —adult and children’s; nonfiction—memoir, essay, feature writing and poetry. Laurel Yourke ranks in the top two percent! She is a rare teacher. She has respect and empathy for her students; she understands the challenges we face and is determined to convey her material in ways we are able to understand. She has a real knack for coming up with just the right explanation or the perfect metaphor with which to make things clear.” ~Julie Weary, Presque Isle, WI

“Laurel Yourke manages to extract practical, sensible ideas out of the most mundane material….she has a remarkable ability to convey subtle ideas clearly and a most fertile mind.” ~Richard Merelman, Madison, WI

“I always learn a lot, feel supported and have fun at Laurel’s workshops. Her feedback is at once gentle, penetrating and precise…I like that Laurel has definite opinions and can give you exactly what her reasons are for those opinions—also that she is modest enough to present them as opinions.” ~Pamela Lewis, Madison, WI

"I found the information especially well organized. That is, the progression worked well. And each unit was thorough and complete. Separating out the dimensions to poetry was very useful as a learning tool. The critiques were great and always kept me moving toward improving my poems. I found the web sites a lot of fun, although a few links didn't work. I also appreciated the list of poets to read and am still working on it. I found the exercises useful conceptually, but couldn't complete all of them. Just too many possibilities. All in all, an excellent experience. Thank you." ~Susan Tollefson, Lancaster, WI