Blueprints & Floor Plans: How to Read the Architecture of a Poetry Collection with H. E. Fisher and Mary Lou Buschi (Zoom)

Much like a cathedral—or a concept album—this Zoom class focuses on studying how collections are constructed: sections, no sections, center-hinge, single concept, and so on.

Join poets Mary Lou Buschi and H.E. Fisher for this online 4-hour intensive—a creative exploration into the “architecture” of poetry collections. Much like a cathedral—or a concept album—this class focuses on studying how collections are constructed: sections, no sections, center-hinge, single concept, and so on. This class considers why a collection is structured a particular way, how a collection asks the reader to read (and listen), and the connection between structure, sequence, and content. Perfect for both poetry lovers and for poets who are seeking to structure collections of their own. Suggested reading list will be provided. 

BIOS

Mary Lou Buschi (she/her) authored 3 poetry collections. Her 3rd, BLUE PHYSICS, 2024 (Lily Poetry Review) was a finalist for Contemporary Poetry in The International Book Awards and a distinguished favorite for the Independent Press Award. PADDOCK, 2021 was nominated for The Four Quartets Prize. She is a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. Her poems appear in Glacier, Ploughshares, Verse Daily, and Laurel Review among many other literary magazines. She also holds a Master of Science in Urban Education and is a full-time special education teacher in the Bronx. Mary Lou was the recipient of the Artists’ Support Fund through Arts Council of Rockland in 2025.

H.E. Fisher (she/they) is the author of the collection STERILE FIELD (Free Lines Press, 2022) and chapbook JANE ALMOST ALWAYS SMILES (Moonstone Arts Center Press, 2022), and co-editor of THE BIG BRUTAL BILL (Small Harbor Publishing; forthcoming fall 2026). H.E.’s work appears or is forthcoming in Bellevue Literary Review, Tupelo Quarterly, EcoTheo Review, Psaltery & Lyre, Ligeia Magazine, MER, SWWIM, Whale Road Review, and DMQ Review, among others. H.E. was awarded City College of New York’s 2019 Stark Poetry Prize and has received nominations for Best of the Net and The Pushcart Prize. H.E. is a recipient of Poets Afloat, Stonecrop Gardens, and Bethany Arts Community residencies and grants from Arts Council of Rockland and ArtsWestchester. H.E. is an editor and writing coach/instructor and lives in the Hudson River Valley.