The Nebraska Poetry Society is offering monthly Saturday morning online poetry workshops. Registration is required, and registration information may be found on the Nebraska Poetry Society webpage. Free with annual membership; nominal fee for non-members. Students, minors and others for whom the registration fee is prohibitive may request a free membership.

This generative workshop will explore the enduring influence of mythology, examining how ancient stories continue to shape our understanding of identity, power, beauty, and human nature. We’ll begin by looking at how classical myth informs contemporary poetry, starting with Helen of Troy, 1993, and expanding into works by poets like Rita Dove and Alice Oswald, who reimagine myth through ancient and modern lenses. These texts will serve as a springboard for discussing how myth lives within literature, poetry, and art. Participants will then receive creative prompts to write their own myth-inspired poems, whether drawing from ancient sources or reinventing archetypes to reflect today’s world. No prior knowledge of mythology is required—just curiosity and a love for creating stories with poetry.

Maria Zoccola is a poet and educator from Memphis, Tennessee. She has writing degrees from Emory University and Falmouth University, and has spent many years leading creative writing workshops for middle and high school youth. Maria’s work has previously appeared in The Atlantic, Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, The Sewanee Review, ZYZZYVA, and elsewhere, and has received a special mention for the Pushcart Prize. Her debut poetry collection, Helen of Troy, 1993 (Scribner, 2025), earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was a New York Times Editor’s Choice pick.

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