Upcoming Readings:

Book launches for Dining on Salt: Four Seasons of Septets
(Published by Cornerstone Press on April 15, 2025)

May 1, 5:30 p.m. MDT–Reading and interview on Carly Newfeld’s “The Last Word” on KSFR (101.1 FM).

May 3, 4 p.m. MDT–Santa Fe launch of Dining on Salt, with Michelle Holland

Geronimo’s Books, 3018 Cielo Court Ste. D Santa Fe, NM

May 18, 2 p.m. MDT–Reading at Books on the Bosque, 6261 Riverside Plaza Lane NW, Ste A-2, Albuquerque, NM,
with John Macker

May 22, 6 p.m. MDT–Online reading with Hiram Larew at Fixed & Free. 

Upcoming Workshops:

Sept. 20, 10-3 p.m. MDT–The Art of the Septet: New Twists on an Old Form, Jules Poetry Playhouse,
11 Homestead Lane, Placitas, NM
 

Workshops Offered:

Looking for rich poetry workshop experience? Here are some of the workshops I offer. If you’re interested in attending one of these, please let me know on the Contact page.
 

Writing the Animal Within
We look at how other poets have written about animals and we generate our own new poems through guided meditations. 

The Six Elements of Poetry
Using the six natural elements of earth, air, fire, water, metal and wood to tap into primal energies and interconnection. 

The Stafford Process

In this workshop, we will study Stafford’s poetry and create our own new poems using Stafford’s process and prompts.

The Music of Poetry

How to use repetition, syncopation, theme and variation, pace, accent, pauses, dynamics, timbre, tone and other basic building blocks of music to enhance the written and spoken word.

Animal Poems
For poets and other creatives, animals, whether wild or domestic, can be an unending source of inspiration and subject matter.

Persona Poems
Sometimes you can say something best in someone else’s voice. A persona poem (also called dramatic monologue) allows you to speak through another person, historical figure, fictional identity or even an object.
 
The Archetypes of Poetry
The six archetypes of Lover, Warrior, Fool, Magician, Wanderer and Sovereign help to access humanity’s collective unconscious and memory of common experiences, and give birth to deep poems.
 
The Body of Poetry
How to make your poems breathe, sing and dance by using strong individual pieces that work (and play) well together.
 
Speaking Your Truth
How to perform your poems for maximum impact using the basics of theater, public speaking and performance art.
 

What my students say:

“Thank you again for putting together such an engaging and challenging workshop. I feel like we approached music from so many different directions. It was a mind-expanding experience.”
–Laurie Bower

“I very much appreciated the time and effort that you invested in prepping for each session–so informative and thought-provoking.”
  –Sharon Rizk
 
“Thank you for a beautiful workshop, for your valuable help, your teaching and critiquing. I would recommend it to anyone.”
     –Jane Lipman, winner, 2013 New Mexico/Arizona Poetry Book Award
 
“I’ll think about  poems in a new way. It was  a fine, fine day.”
      –Elizabeth Raby, winner, 2010 Elmer Kelton Award for poetry
 
“Well prepared, good material, non-threatening atmosphere, gracious but honest critique.”
      –Linda Whittenberg
 
“There was so much I liked about the workshop: the theme, the process (guided meditation, free write, composing), meeting new people, and the excellent structure of the sessions.”
      –Ann Weisman, author of Open Air and Playing the Messages Twice
 
“Wayne Lee is a most engaging teacher of poetry who uses the two hours in a very organized sequence of discussion, exercises, readings and generating creativity among the participants.”
       –Georgia Jones-Davis, author of Blue Poodle and Night School
 
“The connection I had to the poem I wrote during Tuesday Poetry Practice is the power of meditation. Of stopping, listening, and doing something seemingly pointless. In the world of capitalism and hussle that values business, it can be so hard to see the value of stopping. To do something with no obvious outcome, something that doesn’t add directly to productivity.”
—Charity Kroeker
 
“I know that working with Wayne can stretch me even further, because he has you come up with all of these things and these meditations, and he always gives you new territories to expand your mind into.”
–Brenardo Taylor
 
“I’ve taken workshops with Wayne in the past. He gives great workshops and is superb at critiquing poems.”

–Jane Lipman

“Your support and ideas have just been wonderful. It’s been a terrific six weeks.”
–Janet Eigner
 
“A couple years or so ago, I attended a poetry reading of poets who had just finished this class. The thing that impressed me was that no poet who read sounded like the other poets who read. I was so impressed that I signed up for the next class, which was not on The Six Elements of Poetry. Then, after finishing that class, I took the next one. 
Wayne is a fantastic instructor, so if you’re thinking of a class in poetry, think no more, sign up! I think you’ll find this class worth the time and the money. What you learn you’ll carry with you for the rest of your writing life.”
–Lenora Good, author of The Bride’s Gate and Other Assorted Writings
 
“I so appreciate what I learned in your workshop and how it contributed to these pieces.”
—Flavian Mark Lupinetti, author of The Pronunciation Part
 

Tuesday Poetry Practice:

Poetry and meditation both rely on being present, awake, aware. Please join fellow poetry and meditation practitioners and enthusiasts every Tuesday from 11 a.m.-noon MT as we explore how the practices of poetry and meditation can complement each other. Each week we will do a grounding meditation, study a relevant poem, write a new poem from a prompt and share our poems in a supportive, accepting community.

“Thank you! I truly appreciate you and the opportunities you present to explore poetry. I look forward to each and every class w/ you and the portry community you have created.”

–Patricia S.

Join my free weekly drop-in poetry / meditation community by clicking here, every Tuesday from 11 a.m.-noon MT.