Charles Jensen

Instructor Biography:

M.F.A., author of Splice of Life: A Memoir in 13 Film Genres, six chapbooks of poetry and three collections, including Instructions Between Takeoff and Landing (2022). His writing has appeared in American Poetry Review, Los Angeles Times, New England Review and Prairie Schooner. He received the 2018 Zócalo Poetry Prize and a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts.

Instructor Statement:

The only criteria required to be a writer is to do the work of being a writer. In my book, this means two major qualities must be present: curiosity and discipline. Curious writers strives to read, learn and experience as much as possible. They ask questions of what the encounter in the world, and they ask questions of themselves and their own work. Disciplined writers makes time and space for creativity, stick with projects and give themselves permission to make writing a priority.

In my classroom, I encourage writers to take informed risks. We read and discuss work that pushes our boundaries, makes demands of our attention and encourages us to imagine new possibilities. Most of my classes use abstract prompts to help you make these leaps as we dive deep into elements of craft and technique. I ask all my students to respect the risks others take in my classes, to celebrate attempts, to acknowledge opportunity—because every work we write brings us closer to all the unrealized potential we have within.