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In & Out of Form: Exploring Formal Poetry (virtual) with Annick MacAskill

The study of traditional poetic forms strengthens our understanding of poetry and can shift our own practice—though not necessarily towards formal poetry. Experimenting with classical poetic forms can help us break through writer’s block, generate new work, and learn more about poetic devices such as rhyme and repetition—lessons that can be carried forward into any poetic practice (or, truly, any writing practice).

This workshop will (re-)introduce participants to a number of traditional poetic forms, with an emphasis on elements of craft that are also helpful in a free verse practice. Our time will be filled with readings, discussions, writing exercises, and workshopping. Participants can expect to come away with knowledge of traditional poetic forms, new strategies for their writing, and a few new drafts.

About the instructor: Annick MacAskill is the author of four full-length poetry collections, including Shadow Blight (Gaspereau Press, 2022), winner of the Governor General’s Award, and Votive (Gaspereau Press, 2024). Her poems have appeared in journals across Canada and abroad and in the Best Canadian Poetry anthology series. She holds a PhD in French Literature and has published half a dozen peer-reviewed articles on Renaissance French and Neo-Latin poetry. MacAskill is the founder and publisher of poetry micropress Opaat Press. She lives in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia), in Mi’kma’ki.

Recommended experience levels: Writers of all experience levels are welcome

Participant cap: 12

Location: Zoom

Dates of 4-week workshop: Thursdays, Nov 5 + Nov 12 + Nov 19 + Nov 26, 2026 (7:00pm to 9:00pm Atlantic)

Registration for 2026 General Members: $185

Registration for non-members: $215 (includes 2026 General Membership in WFNS)

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Experience Levels

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) uses the following terms to describe writers’ experience levels:

  • New writers: those with less than two years’ creative writing experience and/or no short-form publications (e.g., short stories, personal essays, or poems in literary magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks).
  • Emerging writers: those with more than two years’ creative writing experience and/or numerous short-form publications.
  • Early-career authors: those with 1 or 2 book-length publications or the equivalent in book-length and short-form publications.
  • Established authors: those with 3 or 4 book-length publications.
  • Professional authors: those with 5 or more book-length publications.

Please keep in mind that each form of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, writing for young adults, and others) provides you with a unique set of experiences and skills, so you might consider yourself an ‘established author’ in one form but a ‘new writer’ in another.

Occasionally, WFNS uses the phrase “emerging and established writers/authors” to mean ‘writers and authors of all experience levels.’

The “Recommended experience level” section of each workshop description refers to the above definitions. A workshop’s participants should usually have similar levels of creative writing and / or publication experience. This ensures that each participant gets value from the workshop⁠ and is presented with info, strategies, and skills that suit their experience. 

For “intensive” and “masterclass” workshops, which provide more opportunities for peer-to-peer feedback, the recommended experience level should be followed closely.

For all other workshops, the recommended experience level is just that—a recommendation—and we encourage potential participants to follow their own judgment when registering.

If uncertain about your experience level with respect to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca