Overview

A 3-Part Online Course

The verse novel is an art all its own—sculpted through story and the act of revision. If you’ve done the hard work of drafting your novel in verse and are now ready to immerse yourself in revisions, we invite you to join Cordelia Jensen for this three-part program. We are thrilled to welcome a special guest Charles Waters for a conversation with Cordelia on Wednesday, November 6.

• This is an online course in three parts:
  • Part 1 is learning through presentations (both pre-recorded and live) and writing exercises;
  • Part 2 is time for independent work and revision with support in the virtual classroom;
  • Part 3 is roundtable workshopping of 10-15 poems (with booktalks and live presentations mixed in).
• 6 live online sessions include:
  • Part One: Wednesdays, October 9th, October 16th, October 23rd at 1pm – 2:30pm Eastern
  • Part Two: Independent Revisions and classroom discussions, October 24 – November 5, 2024 (no live sessions)
  • Part Three: Wednesday, November 6th & 13 at 1pm – 2:30pm Eastern; and Wednesday, November 20 at 1pm – 2:30pm Eastern or 7pm – 8:30pm Eastern for a workshopping session
• Optional, post-course feedback of up to 20 poems is available from Cordelia, at an additional cost.
• 16 participants max
• If you are unable to attend the sessions live, you will have access to the recordings within 24-hours of the live session. All materials will be available through December 31, 2024. Please plan to attend live during the day or evening session for your workshopping session on November 20.

Feedback Expected

• Informal feedback will be available from faculty in the virtual classroom in response to writing exercises.
• Faculty-led workshopping of 10 – 15 poems (see detailed agenda below).
• Optional post-course written feedback on up to 20 poems from Cordelia Jensen. (See details following the agenda.)

It’s a Great Fit If…

• You have a completed draft of a middle grade or young adult novel in verse. A complete or nearly completed draft of your verse novel will help you get the most out of this course.
• You need the structure of a multi-week course to make headway into your revisions. Revision can be lonely territory.  Work with fellow verse novelists to make real progress on your revision. Within the course you’ll have weekly exercises and a roundtable workshopping session.
• You crave time with fellow verse novelists. We’ll build community online with our shared love of the form, and learn more by opening to the diversity of ideas in the group.
• You enjoy online learning. This multi-week course relies on LIVE Zoom interaction and contributions in the virtual classroom.

Do I need to have a finished draft of my verse novel to take the workshop?
From Cordelia: “I think it works great if you have the whole first draft, like that’s kind of the ideal.  But there are definitely a handful of people who have taken it where they have maybe 3/4 or half finished.  They know what’s going to happen, or at least have an idea coming into the course, even thought they might change their mind.”

Detailed Agenda

All Times are Eastern Standard Time.  Click on the headings below to explore the agenda in more detail.

Pre-Workshop

You will receive a link to our virtual classroom where you can introduce yourself to fellow novelists, engage in Highlights Foundation related resources (including our Community Standards), keep up to date on the schedule, and view pre-recorded materials.

Note: If your schedule does not allow you to attend live sessions, that’s OK! You’ll have access to the recordings. They’re usually posted the day after the session, and they’ll be available through December 31, 2024.

Required reading:

• Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell (summary provided by Penguin Random House): In Rye, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, people work hard, kids go to school, and football is big on Friday nights. An eighth-grade English teacher creates an assignment for her class to debate whether Rye’s mascot should stay or change. Now six middle schoolers–-all with different backgrounds and beliefs–-get involved in the contentious issue that already has the suburb turned upside down with everyone choosing sides and arguments getting ugly. Told from several perspectives, readers see how each student comes to new understandings about identity, tradition, and what it means to stand up for real change.
• Spin by Rebecca Caprara  (summary provided by Simon & Schuster): Arachne is a homely girl with no claims to divinity or fortune, ostracized by all but her family and closest friend, Celandine. Turning to her loom for solace, Arachne learns to weave, finding her voice and her strength through the craft. After a devastating loss, Arachne and Celandine flee to the city of Colophon, where Arachne’s skills are put to the test. Word of her talent spreads quickly, leading to a confrontation with the goddess Athena, who demands that Arachne repent for her insolence and pride. But Arachne will not be silenced. She challenges Athena, and a fateful weaving contest ensues, resulting in an exposé of divine misdeeds, a shocking transformation, and unexpected redemption. An ancient myth retelling into a sweeping novel in verse, unraveling the tales that frame Arachne as a villainess and deliver a timely story of long-awaited justice.
• In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo (summary provided by HarperCollins): Anna can’t wait to move to the beautiful country—the Chinese name for America. Although she’s only ever known life in Taiwan, she can’t help but brag about the move to her family and friends. But the beautiful country isn’t anything like Anna pictured. Her family can only afford a cramped apartment, she’s bullied at school, and she struggles to understand a new language. On top of that, the restaurant that her parents poured their savings into is barely staying afloat. The version of America that Anna is experiencing is nothing like she imagined. How will she be able to make the beautiful country her home? This lyrical and heartfelt story, inspired by the author’s own experiences, is about resilience, courage, and the struggle to make a place for yourself in the world.

Suggested Reading:

• Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
• Me (Moth) by Amber McBride
• Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh
• Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
• Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen
• The Way the Light Bends by Cordelia Jensen
• Every Shiny Thing by Cordelia Jensen

How It Impacts Kids

Verse novels can provide a powerful emotional experience for young readers. This workshop will help you revise yours so that it can shine.

Testimonials from Our Community

“Cordelia was a sensitive and smart reader of our work in progress, linking it effectively to the material under study. The class offered an interesting, intelligent and indirect way to think about my novel draft. For me it unlocked the work and allowed me to find the momentum and energy I was seeking.”

“Cordelia was an excellent teacher and shared above and beyond and made the whole class experience worthwhile and informative.”

“Cordelia shared an amazing amount of information. There is so little available on Free Verse and I was thrilled to be part of this class.”

“I came into the course with very little knowledge about actually writing a verse novel and employing an image system. I left with a world of information.”

Resources

• Gather Podcast interview with Cordelia Jensen about the course and about verse novels
• Auditioning Poetry Devices for Your Verse Novel’s Voice
• YA Wednesday: Better and Verse
• Read a verse novel a day for National Poetry Month
• Best 9 Tips On Plotting a Novel in Verse from the Fiction Notes blog
• Imagining an Image System