Gold LEAF Institute Course Catalogue

In Person

Join us for six weeks to discover the poet in you and to discover how to appreciate poetry in general.

Many of us broach the subject of poetry with a feeling of trepidation—mostly because we were made to "analyze" poetry in our high school or college years. We will learn to enjoy poetry—starting with a haiku, moving on to some of the most famous poems from the 1600s to today.

We'll take former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins' advice and not *"beat it [a poem] with a hose/to find out what it really means." Rather, we will find that the only **"trouble with poetry is/that it encourages the writing of more poetry."

At the end of our time together, we will plan an "open mic" to share what we have created. *Billy Collins, “Introduction to Poetry” from The Apple that Astonished Paris. 2006. University of Arkansas Press.**--"The Trouble with Poetry" from The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems. 2005. Random House.

February 23rd, 2026

March 2nd, 9th, 16th 23rd, 30th, 2026

1 pm - 2:30 pm 

Location: TBD

Cynthia earned a BFA in creative writing from UMF in 2005. She published a poetry journal (the Aurorean) for twenty-five years (1995-2020), during which she published over 1,500 poets worldwide.

Cynthia has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in poetry, served as membership chair for the Maine Poets Society, and now serves as treasurer for the Haiku Society of America. She teaches a yearly poetry workshop/retreat in the Adirondacks. Cynthia lives near Farmington with her husband.

It would be helpful for participants to have THE POETRY HANDBOOK by Mary Oliver, $10.99 on Amazon.