Eyelids flutter over the blank verse
of sleep. You brush the crow’s wings
from your face. The book, perhaps a
collection
of Chekhov’s short stories, spills
from your hands and tumbles into the dark
as through still water, sinking
under the weight of words.
from “Reading Yourself to Sleep”
by Richard Hedderman
Available Workshops
Wingtip with a Slice of Cantaloupe
You don’t have to be a poet to write poetry is the chief lesson of this interactive writing workshop led by poet, writer, and educator, Richard Hedderman. This program demystifies poetry, opens the creative imagination, and brings the writer’s essential tools of intuition, language, and poetic structure into practice. We also explore such writer’s secrets as trolling for vocabulary, vanquishing fear of the blank page, and how to invest your writing with tension— the chief driving forces of the poetic impulse. The workshop begins with an informal discussion of our connection with poetry, then explores the poetic process through a structured writing exercise engaging with the world around us. Participants will have the option of sharing their new, demystified poems.
If interested in hosting this workshop, please contact Richard Hedderman at rheddermanpoetry@gmail.com.
Public registration for workshops may be accessed through the host institution.
Previous Workshops
Driftless Writing Center (Feb 2022)
In February, 2022 the Driftless Writing Center hosted a Friday night open mic, including a reading by Richard, followed by Richard’s “The Words Choose You” workshop the following day. According to center director Lisa Henner, “Richard’s poetry workshop got rave reviews!”
The Words Choose You: Poetry Demystified
This two-hour interactive workshop, led by Milwaukee-area poet and essayist Richard Hedderman, focuses on silencing the internal critic and opening the creative imagination. It is designed to demystify poetry – bringing the poet’s essential tools (diversity, language, poetic architecture, and metaphor) into practice. Participants will engage in a series of practical yet intuitive exercises, as a means of exploring ourselves and the world around us. During the program, attendees – along with Richard – will share their works-in-progress. We conclude with a discussion of his newest collection of poetry, Choosing A Stone, (Finishing Line Press, 2020).
Osher Lifelong Learning Institue Workshop (2021)
In this online 2021 workshop for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Richard read from his most recent collection of poetry, Choosing a Stone (Finishing Line Press, 2020), as well as some new work. Students then explored the process, craft and joy of poetry, and its increasingly vital place in our common aesthetic. This was a two-part program; the second installment included an interactive poetry writing workshop.
Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts (2017)
Mineral Point, WI. No further info.
Poet-Tree Day (2016)
Westlawn Elementary. Cedarburg, WI. No further info.
BodyMindSpirit Works Meditation Center
Grafton, WI. Creative Writing Workshop. No further info.
Irish Barroom Brawling Workshop
For more info on fight direction, please visit the Fight Direction page.
Workshop Testimonials
“Richard’s poetry workshop got rave reviews!”
–Lisa Henner, co-founder of Wisconsin’s Driftless Writing Center
• • •
“One of our regular students says she knows something is poetic, ‘when my heart begins to quiver, my brain seems hot, and I’m eager for the next word – that is poetry.’ And your class was really all that! We were eager and engaged and our hearts did quiver. We look forward to working with you again. You are a great teacher.”
– Laurie Yingling, Program Coordinator for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• • •
“Richard captures the attention of new writers, and inspires them to write breathtaking poetry.”
– Liz Jorgensen, Writing and Language Arts Instructor, Arrowhead Union High School, Hartland, WI. Author Sijo: Korea’s Poetry Form
• • •
“Richard is as masterful coaching professionals as he is students.”
– Michael Allosso, film and stage director
• • •
“Richard Hedderman is wonderful to work with. The students get a crash course in museum studies and learn so much from him. I can’t say enough about how much my work with Richard has enhanced my teaching. He is an exceptional educator.”
– Mara Kachelski, Milwaukee High School of the Arts
• • •
“Thank you for promoting poetry in the state. You help so many children by not only making poetry accessible, but also inspiring them to write. You’re awesome! I look forward to many more collaborations.”
– Liz Jorgensen, writing teacher, Arrowhead Union High School, regarding the Milwaukee Public Museum’s student poetry competition