“A masterclass promises immersion, which is often that rarest of things for working writers,” says Shivanee Ramlochan.
The acclaimed Trinidadian poet — whose debut book Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting was shortlisted for the 2018 Felix Dennis Forward Prize for Best First Collection — will lead a special masterclass called “Your Poems Are Powerhouses” in October, as part of the Bocas Academy’s programme to nurture early-career writers.
Running over three Saturdays from 12 to 26 October, via Zoom and open to poets anywhere in the world, “Your Poems Are Powerhouses” includes a session with guest tutor Olive Senior, the celebrated former Poet Laureate of Jamaica.
Registration for the masterclass, with a fee of TT$900, is currently open, with limited places remaining. Further information on registration is online at academy.bocaslitfest.com.
“The masterclass is in itself a kind of promise,” says Ramlochan, “Every participant’s work will be deeply,
rigorously assessed, and the poets’ personal writing shared in each session will be treated with dignity,
meticulous critique, and respect. The goal upon completion of the course is for each poet to see their
own drafts more clearly, more convincingly, and to be armed with a toolkit of updated techniques,
strategies, and practical examples, all in service of fulfilling their most fiercely held ambitions for their
work.”
A frequent tutor and mentor, who is also currently editing two anthologies of new writing by Caribbean
authors, Ramlochan explains that “Your Poems Are Powerhouses” is aimed at “writers in the process of
assembling their first (or second, or third) manuscripts for publication, as well as writers desirous of
shaping and hewing individual pieces or shorter portfolios of poems for submission to residencies,
competitions, fellowships, and grant opportunities.”
She adds, “That said, please don’t self-reject because you don’t consider yourself ‘a serious poet’. If
you’ve thought deeply about writing poems, and have notebooks full of them, this masterclass is for
you. If you’ve pages and pages of unpublished drafts, but have lacked the nerve to begin submitting
them, this masterclass is for you, too. All those who live very intentionally with poetry at their core, both
in their reading and writing lives, should apply.”
Ramlochan herself is currently completing her eagerly awaited second collection of poems, alongside a
book of essays tentatively scheduled for publication in late 2025. Considered one of the most compelling
and original voices in contemporary Caribbean poetry, she is also a longtime member of the Bocas Lit
Fest team, and has worked closely with dozens of writers in that capacity. Her own poetic career, she says, has been crucially shaped by workshops and masterclasses she has participated in as both teacher
and learner.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be in both physical and virtual workshop spaces with instructors who
have assisted, indelibly, in the strengthening of my belief in myself as a writer,” Ramlochan says.
“Learning from poets who are themselves deeply committed to their own craft has always been a boon:
the community generated in such spaces has been, in my experience, long-lasting, characterised by
warmth, honesty, and grace. It’s a creative enterprise I never take for granted, and it’s important to say,
too, that every workshop or masterclass I’ve ever taught has inevitably and invaluably taught me as
much in return.”
And what can masterclass participants expect over the three sessions? “‘Your Poems are Powerhouses’
will take both a generative and critical approach to writing your most intense and impactful poems,”
Ramlochan explains. “We’ll perform close readings of poems, presented in both text and performance,
from award-winning Caribbean poets as well as select international writers of note, and consider how to
apply several of those techniques to our own drafts. We’ll engage in bespoke craft exercises, specifically
designed to pull the most difficult and intimidating things to say from the raw material of the poems,
and shape them with confidence.”
That’s not all: “Alongside this, participants will be provided with an extensive reading list,” says
Ramlochan, “and treated to a singular experience: a guest visit from the phenomenal Olive Senior. Her
decades of poetry have been indispensable to my own definition of myself as a poet, and it will be an
honour to share the insights of this course alongside her.”
Other Bocas Academy offerings include a recently concluded two-part workshop on creative nonfiction,
led by Ira Mathur, winner of the 2023 OCM Bocas Prize for Nonfiction; and an upcoming in-person
“Poetry Meets Performance” session in November, led by Wendell Manwarren and elisha efua bartels.
Visit academy.bocaslitfest.com for details.
