Questions about the studio
What a workshop costs, how long it runs, what to bring, and what you take home.
Frequently asked
Where is the studio?
The studio is in Greene County, Virginia, near Stanardsville, at the end of a one-mile private drive. It is about 45 minutes north of Charlottesville, and the drive takes you up into the Blue Ridge foothills. We send the exact address once you have booked.
When do workshops open?
The first workshops open in late 2026. We have not posted dates yet. The mailing list is how the first ones will be announced, and signing up is the only thing to do for now.
How long is a workshop?
A workshop runs three hours, from the first welcome to the last goodbye. Workshops are held at varying times of day rather than only in the morning, so the dates we post will say which.
How much does it cost?
It is $95 per person.
How many people come to a workshop?
Groups run from one to ten people. A workshop can be a single person or a whole party, and everyone who comes is eighteen or over.
Do I need any experience?
No experience is needed. You do not need to be a writer or a poet, and most people who come have never written a poem for someone else before. Everything you need to know happens in the room.
What should I bring?
Bring a short poem you love. We read them aloud at the start and you will type yours out on a vintage typewriter, which becomes the first thing you take home.
Do I need my own typewriter?
The typewriters are mine, and they stay here. You will try a few and settle on the one that suits you, and the paper is part of the workshop.
What do I take home?
You leave with two poems on vintage paper: the one you brought and typed yourself, and the one written for you by the person you paired with. The poem you wrote for someone else goes home with them.
Do I have to read my poem out loud?
Reading aloud is welcome and never required. Plenty of people write something they would rather hand over quietly, and that is a perfectly ordinary way to spend the last part of a workshop.
What are parking and access like?
Parking is plentiful and close to the door. Guests come in through a step-free side entrance with a standard-width door, and both rooms are on one level. Write to me before you book if there is something you need me to know.
Can you write poems for guests at my wedding or event?
That work is Charlottesville Poem Store, a separate business of mine, and it is still how to hire me to write poems for guests at a wedding or an event of your own. The studio is the other way around: you sit down at the machine yourself.
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