Unlocking creative flow: The magic of concrete poetry and effortless writing

Last weekend, I had a blast teaching a Concrete Poetry class at Book Passage! It was such a fun and inspiring experience. Here’s a confession, though: I’ve never actually taken a poetry class—not in college, not post-college. My “education” has come from devouring books about poetry by poets. One of my favorites is Steve Kowit’s In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet’s Portable Workshop. If you haven’t read it, you’re missing out! His exercises are like stepping into a magical poetic space where the words just flow. One day, I’d love to teach a class built entirely around his book—his prompts are just that good.

A lot of creative writing books feel…heady. They focus on techniques or tell you to write about a specific topic. But from my experience, true creative writing happens when you tap into a space where metaphors, images, and emotions rise up naturally—like they’ve been waiting for you all along.

In my classes, we explore that space. It’s where the act of writing becomes inevitable, effortless—like the words and images are just waiting to land on the page. I call it third space, or metaphoric space. It’s a fertile, creative field available to all of us. Once you’re in that zone, your writing takes on a richness that can’t be forced. You can always edit later, but you can’t manufacture that raw creative energy.

I’m constantly reminding myself to live in that generative space in my everyday life. When life gets too busy, it’s easy to drift away from it—but that’s always the place I want to return to. It’s where creativity feels alive, joyful, and effortless.

Oh, and if you’re in the Berkeley area, come say hi! I’ll be speaking about my book, Getting Messy: A Guide to Taking Risks and Opening the Imagination, at Pegasus Bookstore in downtown Berkeley on Thursday, November 12th at 7:30 PM. Let’s dive into the messy, magical world of creativity together!