How to Read a Poem
with Jeanine Walker
Genres: Poetry, Writing for Performance
In Person
In Person Open to all levels
Open to all levels 1 Session
1 Session This class meets IN PERSON at Hugo House in Capitol Hill.
This class is accompanied by a student reading performance on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 from 7 – 9 PM PT at Hugo House. This is an optional (but encouraged!) event for How to Read a Poem participants.
Most of us meet poems first on the page, but poetry begins in the ear. Before we register an image or idea, we hear cadence, breath, and rhythm. pause. Learning to listen closely can change how a poem feels, what it reveals, and how it lives inside you.
In this one-day class, we’ll explore how sound, rhythm, and vocal emphasis shape the emotional experience of a poem. Through close listening and guided reading, you’ll discover how a poem’s music can clarify its meaning and deepen your connection to the work.
We’ll study recordings by poets such as Natasha Trethewey, Laura Da’, and Li-Young Lee, paying attention to the choices they make as they read aloud: why they pause here, why they quicken there, how tone shifts the emotional surface of a line. These examples will give you a clearer sense of how sound supports meaning—tools you can bring back into your own writing and revising.
From there, we'll move through a guided revision exercise that uses voice as a craft tool, along with light vocal techniques to help you read with clarity and confidence. You’ll practice reading aloud—finding where to slow down, where to build momentum, and how to let the poem’s shape guide your breath.
To wrap up the class, you’ll also have the opportunity to perform one of your poems at a public reading event.
This class is perfect for poets and poetry-curious writers who want to connect more deeply with spoken language and the music of the line. No performance experience required. Just bring your curiosity and a listening ear.
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.
- Publishing & Professional Development: Focuses on submitting work, understanding the publishing industry, or building a writing career.
What to expect:
- Goal-Setting & Accountability: Includes tools or practices to help students stay motivated.
- Project-Based: Students will work toward completing a specific project (e.g., a story, poem, or essay).
- Reading & Analysis: Published works will be closely read as part of the learning process.
- Lecture: Instructor-led teaching
- Prompts & Exercises: Class features guided writing activities.
- In-Class Sharing: Students are invited to share their writing aloud or in small groups during class.
- No reading and/or writing outside of class
Students say…
"I haven't seen a class on this subject – reading your work aloud – offered anywhere before by any teacher. Great subject for a class. Excellent exercises for revision & delivery.”
“Hands on revision exercises, hearing other people's poem (bits) hearing about rhythm & meter, accents & emphasis. VERY HELPFUL.”
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
Jeanine Walker
Jeanine Walker is the author of The Two of Them Might Outlast Me (2022). She has received writing fellowships from Artist Trust, the Jack Straw Cultural Center, Wonju, UNESCO City of Literature, and Inprint. Her work has appeared in Bennington Review, New Ohio Review, Pleiades, Prairie Schooner, and elsewhere. A poet with a Ph.D. in creative writing from the University of Houston, Jeanine is a long-time poetry teacher and most recently taught English at Kangwon National University in Chuncheon, South Korea.
Describe your teaching style.
Positive, fun, and generous, I love to make my students feel welcome and let them know it's important to me that they're there.
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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