Poetry Field School Offers Long-Distance Solace During A Pandemic
Poet Elaine Kahn teaches video conference workshops for aspiring poets, as part of her Poetry Field School project. She says the pandemic and quarantine have had an impact on her students' writing.
In 2016, artist and poet Elaine Kahn tweeted, "If I taught a poetry workshop in LA wld anyone take it?" Kahn says the name came later, but that tweet was the genesis of the Poetry Field School. Four years since her initial callout, she now teaches three workshops at a time over video conference calls. "I never thought it would be the way I supported myself," says Kahn, but the fees students pay to attend Poetry Field School workshops are her main source of income.
I ask Kahn if I can join a Poetry Field School workshop over Zoom on a Wednesday evening. Propped up against pillows, bed frames and backs of couches, seven students greet one another. One student holds video games.
