Breath and Time: The Art of Pacing in Contemporary Poetry
with Yuki Tanaka
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life, Reading, Writing for Performance
Online
Online Intermediate, Advanced
Intermediate, Advanced 4 Sessions
4 Sessions Poems have their own sense of timing. A line leaves the door open, a pause sustains—until suddenly you’re standing inside a nameless feeling. Pacing is the invisible engine behind that experience: the timing by which a poet reveals emotion, or decides to hold it close.
In this four-week reading and discussion course, we’ll slow down and feel how poems actually move. Each week, we’ll read two contemporary works from poets such as Elizabeth Bishop, George Oppen, Srikanth Reddy, Mary Jo Bang, Shangyang Fang, and Margaret Ross. We’ll listen attentively for how breath shapes meaning: how syntax modulates tension, how white space carries vulnerability, and how rhythm becomes a form of emotional clarity.
We’ll treat poems as conversations unfolding in time. What happens when a poet pauses? What does restraint make possible? Through close reading and shared inquiry, you’ll learn to read for the subtle choreography of revelation and withholding that gives a poem its heartbeat.
This reading course is ideal for poets and poetry lovers who want to deepen their sensitivity to language. You might be an emerging writer seeking more control over tone and vulnerability, or a dedicated reader hoping to understand why certain poems stay with you long after you’ve set them down.
By the end of the course, you’ll leave with a renewed ability to hear how emotion travels through a poem, a deeper awareness of pacing as a craft tool, and a more spacious way of encountering poetry itself.
This class focuses on:
- Creative Play & Exploration: Focuses on playful, experimental writing activities designed to break creative blocks and spark ideas.
- Close Reading & Analysis: Engages deeply with published texts to examine craft, language, and style.
- What to expect:
- Reading & Analysis: Published works will be closely read as part of the learning process.
- Class Discussion: Facilitated class conversation
- 2-3 hours of reading and/or writing outside of class per week
Students say…
“Yuki's presence in the classroom is incredibly warm and welcoming. He creates a warm space where everyone feels included. He’s also deeply knowledgeable about the material, and his readings introduced me to new favorite authors I’ll continue exploring beyond the class.”
“[Yuki] was very kind and open and created a wonderful class environment.”
“Yuki is a fabulous teacher who had really innovative ways of helping us find our way to techniques…on our own. He was inclusive, patient, skilled, and introduced us to a variety of perspectives. Would 100% take his class, again. I hope he comes back for next year.”
Registration Dates:
- December 2: Member registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- December 9: General registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- December 14: Last day of Early Bird discount
- December 16: Scholarships open
Yuki Tanaka
Yuki Tanaka was born and raised in Yamaguchi, Japan. He is the author of the debut poetry collection, Chronicle of Drifting (Copper Canyon Press, 2025). His poems have appeared in The New Republic, The Paris Review, Poetry, and elsewhere. He has also co-translated, with Mary Jo Bang, A Kiss for the Absolute: Selected Poems of Shuzo Takiguchi, published by Princeton University Press. He lives in Tokyo and teaches at Hosei University.
FAQ
Complete FAQEach class description includes a breakdown of what you can expect in terms of in-class activity, feedback, and homework (if any).
Generative means you’ll be generating new writing, either in class or at home between classes.
Workshop means you’ll be sharing work to be read and critiqued by your instructor and classmates and that you will also be critiquing the work of your peers.
Reading means you’ll be doing close reading of a work with an eye toward craft.
Craft discussion means you’ll be looking at the tools writers use to do that thing they do so well and then trying it out yourself.
Class levels are designed for various stages of the writing journey. Simply self-select the level that sounds best for where you’re at.
Introductory: This is your first creative writing workshop, first writing class since high school, or first foray into a new genre or form. You’re looking to try something new, kickstart your writing, and/or establish yourself in the fundamentals.
Intermediate: You have a strong understanding of writing fundamentals and are eager to deep dive into craft. You’re honing your writerly identity and voice through independent projects. In workshop, you look for constructive feedback and are ready to do writing and reading outside of class.
Advanced: You’ve written a significant body of work and have taken it through several stages of revision. You’re getting ready to publish or are in the early stage of publishing, and you’re interested in refining the skills that will take you to the next level in the literary industry.
All Levels: You are any of the above and are looking to play with new possibilities.
You’ll get your class information, including Zoom link if applicable, three days before the first day of class.
If you register for a class within this three-day window and do not receive this information, please contact us at welcome@hugohouse.org
Write With Hugo House is our free monthly write-in program that takes place online via Zoom.
We also have payment plans available for most of our classes. These payment plans are available to all students. Additionally, we offer partial scholarships (covering up to 40% of class tuition) for students who meet our income guidelines.
Lastly, we announce flash sales, early bird periods, and special deals through our e-newsletter; sign up at the bottom of this page.
At this time, we offer payment plans on classes 4 sessions and up. To register for a payment plan, select “Pay in installments” on the class details page, select your preferred option, and proceed to add to cart usual.
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We charge a 5% nonrefundable administrative fee for all payment plans. This fee is based on total class cost.
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We are unable to hold seats for prospective payment plan students. Students will be enrolled once their first installment has been paid.
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If you need to cancel, Hugo House will issue refunds according to its cancellation and transfer policies. Your 5% nonrefundable admin fee will not be refunded.
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If you withdraw from a class after it begins, you will not receive a refund and are still responsible for paying the full course tuition.
Asynchronous classes are perfect for students that need flexibility!
During an asynchronous class, instructors release new lessons once per week. Students then have one week to complete that lesson and any accompanying coursework. You’ll learn as much as you would in a traditional class but with the flexibility to work at the best times for your schedule!
While there are no live sessions, asynchronous classes are still a lively and rigorous experience. Async classes are not static lessons but an adaptable and energetic community space. Be ready to work in a collaborative environment, giving and receiving feedback on your writing, participating in discussions, and growing your writing practice in a way that works best for you.
Asynchronous classes take place through the website Wet Ink. Students receive an invitation to the class and to set up a Wet Ink account on the start date of the class. Each week of the class, a new lesson will be available through the Wet Ink portal. Classes close two weeks after the end date, and students receive an email containing their content from the class when it closes.
Hugo House will only process refund requests that are submitted 5 days or more before the class start date. To request a refund, log in to your account, go to “My Account,” select the “Orders” tab on the left-hand side, click the appropriate order, and request a refund for your specific class. Administrative fees apply. Please see our full refund policy here.
To request a refund for class credit, please note such in the message section of your refund request.
In general, we do not record classes. However, an exception can be made with instructor approval if a student has specific access needs.
We encourage students to only sign up for classes that fit with their schedule.
We do not tolerate racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, transphobic or any other oppressive behaviors, regardless of who commits them. Please check out our full community guidelines by clicking here. If an instance of community guidelines are violated and not resolved within the classroom, students may let us know by filling out the student incident report.
If Hugo House needs to cancel a class for any reason, you’ll receive a full refund.
You can apply for a scholarship by clicking the red “Request a Scholarship” text on class pages. The scholarship request text is located at the top of each class page, underneath the “add to cart” button.
Scholarship application dates can be found in our Academic Calendar.
Due to the limited number of scholarships, please only request up to two scholarships for two different classes per quarter if you truly meet the financial need requirements.
Hugo House members get to register early for classes – a full week before they open to the general public!, receive a 10% discount on events and classes, and more. See the full list of membership benefits here!
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