The Beats Workshop

Counterculture, experimentation, sexuality and rhythm mark the phenomena known as The Beat Generation. Seminal works such as Ginsberg’s Howl, Burrough’s Naked Lunch and Kerouac’s On the Road created national shifts that not only broke down aesthetic boundaries but also social boundaries.

Writing Goals

  • To understand the philosophies behind the Beat movement, the spirit and energy;
  • To identify and read exemplary works from The Beats as a foundational study to creating your own;
  • To generate new drafts of poetry and prose with a focus on rhythm and cadence immortalized in the Beat movement;
  • To provide critical feedback on work so you can revise and make it as strong as it can be;
  • To help you further strengthen your knowledge of form and to provide you with the environment to better understand your individual voice so you can apply this to future works;
  • To help you learn and improve on the techniques of writing and self-editing so that you are aware of your preferred forms and boundaries and be able to consider how you might push your preferred forms into your best craft.