You wrote poems all April long. Now what?
Refold: 6 Weeks of Editing in Community
Annually each summer
Refold: 6 Weeks of Editing in Community
Refold is a six-week poetry editing workshop, led by Tristan Richards (me!). Each week, we'll connect for two hours on Zoom to learn new editing techniques, give each other feedback, and polish our poems to their best possible versions. At the end of the workshop, we'll share our newly edited work with the public in the Refold Showcase!
Many Refold workshop members participated in Unfold, 30 days of writing workshops in April (celebrating National Poetry Writing Month). However, you can join Refold whether or not you participated in Unfold! Come with your freshly drafted 30 poems or any other stack of poems you'd like to refine.
How many times have you written a poem, only for it to collect metaphorical dust, forgotten in the depths of your Google Drive? Refold can help! Shake out those old drafts and let's help them shine instead.
In 2025, there are three Refold cohorts!
Beginner: Thursdays, 7-9 pm CDT, July 17 - August 28 (August 7 off)
Advanced: Sundays, 11 am-1 pm CDT, July 20 - August 31 (August 10 off)
Asynchronous: New video lessons every Monday, July 21 - September 1 (August 11 off)
Which cohort is right for you?
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Best for:
Poets new to editing
Poets who recently participated in Unfold (but have not completed Refold in the past)
Poets without traditional poetry education
Poets with busy schedules
Focus:
Grammar and terminology
Introductory editing techniques
Learning to give and receive feedback
Identifying personal challenges and bad habits
Individual poems
In-workshop peer editing
Building your editing community
Increasing your confidence as an editor and a writer
This workshop will not:
Expect you to show up with any editing experience or knowledge
Require a ton of work outside of weekly meeting times
Explore advanced techniques
Move too quickly
Ask you to provide tons of feedback to cohort-mates each week
Focus on generating new material
Schedule:
Thursdays, 7-9 pm CDT
​July 17 - August 28 (August 7 off)
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Best for:
Poets with experience editing their own and others' poetry
Refold alumni (this is an extremely repeatable workshop!)
Poets who have participated in other editing workshops or academic courses
Poets serious about submission
Poets with capacity to give and receive significant feedback to cohort-mates
Focus:
Detailed peer editing outside of workshop
Advanced editing techniques
Workshopping poems
Digging into more complex feedback
Poems in conversation with each other
Identifying routines and exercises that work for you
​Building your editing community
Moving you from basic editing to imaginative revision practices
This workshop will not:
Expect you to be an editing expert—just that you have some experience and a basic foundation of grammar and poetry vocabulary
Dig into grammar lessons beyond basic review as appropriate
Move slowly or be passive
Ask you to edit your work in a vacuum
Focus on generating new material
Schedule:
Sundays, 11 am-1 pm CDT
​July 20 - August 31 (August 10 off)
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Best for:
Poets with busy schedules who cannot commit to a weekly Zoom meeting
Poets who want to participate in the beginner or advanced tracks but cannot make the scheduled time work
Poets who are unsure of which live track they would fit in and want to learn a little of everything
Focus:
Shorter, more actionable video lessons
Introductory and advanced editing techniques
Learning to work with feedback from a professional editor
Identifying personal challenges, bad habits, and practices that work for you
Building your confidence in your independent editing practice
This workshop will not:
Require you to attend weekly Zoom meetings
Ask you to watch extremely long videos
Do a deep dive on any particular subject—just enough to put into practice
Require you to give feedback on poems to anyone but yourself
Focus on generating new material
Schedule:
New video lessons every Monday
July 21 - September 1 (August 11 off)
© Offbeat Artistry
2025 Pricing: $300 USD
Your membership includes:
6 weeks of live poetry editing workshops (Zoom links emailed to you each day)*
Refold Showcase: Invitation to participate in a live public reading
Feedback from your cohort on up to 6 poems (1 per week and a fishbowl editing session)*
Several guided poetry editing exercises each week
Space to parse through all of your NaPoWriMo drafts (or any other stack of poems you're working on)
Refold member mail :)
Accountability for your personal writing goals
Community building with other poets*
Tons of support from your new personal cheerleader
* Does not apply to asynchronous track
​Payment plans are available. Please email tristanjrichards@gmail.com before registering for information on how to set this up!
Can't afford the full cost? Pay what you can here—you'll get the same workshop, just without written feedback from Tristan on your poems.
Typical Workshop Structure (Beginner & Advanced Cohorts)
Check in & introductions
Warm up exercise
Editing conversation 1
Editing exercise 1
Fishbowl editing 1 (advanced cohort only)
Editing conversation 2
​Editing exercise 2
Fishbowl editing 2 (advanced cohort only)​
Announcements & wrap up
You will also have some asynchronous homework between classes, including submitting a poem for instructor feedback, giving your cohort-mates feedback (advanced cohort only), and working with feedback on your own poems.
Zoom links are emailed to participants the day of the workshop and provided in a Google Classroom with all other course materials.
2025 Calendar
Beginner Cohort: Thursdays, 7-9 pm CDT, July 17 - August 28 (August 7 off)
​Advanced Cohort: Sundays, 11 am-1 pm CDT, July 20 - August 31 (August 10 off)
Asynchronous Track: New video lessons every Monday, July 21 - September 1 (August 11 off)
Workshop Outline
Week 1: Assessing Your Poems
Week 2: Identify & Ask For What You Want
Week 3: World of the Poem
Week 4: Specific = Universal
Week 5: Bringing the Poem to Life
Week 6: Eyes on the Prize
Refold Showcase
Each week you will:
Share a poem for feedback from your cohort mates (or Tristan, for the asynchronous track)
Give feedback to several other poets
Edit your own poems based on feedback and workshop activities
Discuss editing techniques and poetic devices with your cohort
Practice revising your poetry through in-workshop activities
Testimonials
"Tristan is an engaged and thoughtful editor who provided me with line-by-line edits on a grad school application packet. She was easy to communicate with and prepared for each of our meetings. We were able to look at each poem individually and consider the strengths and weaknesses of the writing. She offered commentary on voice, characters, line breaks, diction, concept, and form. I genuinely felt that she was invested in my application, and was cheering for me to succeed. Tristan showed respect for the work I produced and a reverence for decisions about the work ultimately being up to me. She wasn’t afraid to be honest with me about the things I got hung up on as a writer. Because of her editing skills, I feel confident in submitting my application." ​
- Sara Beth
"Having Tristan as an editor is like combining your own personal cheerleader with your favorite college professor (the one who would challenge you because they believed in your potential). She is insightful and supportive, highlighting the strengths of your work while identifying opportunities to make it sing even more beautifully. 10/10!"
- Lisa