Christopher Citro's Blog

Here’s a video of me reading my poem “In a Kingdom of Little Gusts and I Want Out” from Fugue issue 64.

Hot golly! Advance copies of my nephew Brian’s new jazz album, Keep Moving (Home), on Chicago’s Calligram Records, have arrived. He asked me to write a poem to be the liner notes, and it’s there in the CD and as a pullout insert for the vinyl album! The album’s not up on the label’s website yet, but it’ll be available as digital, CD, and vinyl when it’s released this May.

Hot golly! I’m teaching in Greece again this September…and you should join us! Register by April 10 to receive special grant pricing at https://www.mvicw.com/greece
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Write in paradise this September! MVICW’s Freeing The Muse Retreat is returning for our second year at the Ionian Center for the Arts & Culture on the Greek Island of Kefalonia!

Silence your Inner Critic and let your creativity flow on the beautiful island of Kefalonia. Work with award-winning authors and poets, enjoy home-cooked Greek meals, and go on outings to caves, castles, and beautiful beaches! Join us this fall and dive into your writing and creativity with a deeply nurturing community.

The single most important teacher in my life (and I’ve had a bunch of great ones) has died. I’m gutted to hear that Wayne Dodd, my first poetry teacher, has passed. I entered his poetry workshops at Ohio University as a freshman, in love with writing poetry, but unaware that anyone had written poetry since the Beats. I took every poetry workshop he offered until there were no more to take. Every afternoon in his class, staring out at the sycamores from the upper floors of Ellis Hall, my mind was blown and the boundaries of my heart were enlarged. I’d never had a teacher like Wayne before, and I’ve never had one like him since. He introduced me to the poets whose work guided my life, both in poetry and in just, like, life. His teaching literally changed my life. And today, over 30 years later, every time I teach things that Wayne taught me about poetry come out in what I give my students. Those golden hours in his classroom are never far from my mind. RIP dear dear Wayne Dodd. A poet and teacher.

Announcing my SPRING 2026 private creative writing workshop! Yay! Earlybird discounted registration opened today.

My poetry workshop “In the Landscape of Contemporary Poetry” meets on Wednesdays, starting April 1.
My “Creative Nonfiction Workshop” meets on Thursdays, starting April 2.

Both workshops take place on Zoom from 6-8 PM Eastern Time and run for 6 classes.

Earlybird discounted registration has just opened and closes March 22.
Regular registration closes March 29.

See https://christophercitro.com/private-classes/ for more info and to register.

Visited my friend the wonderful poet Emma Rhodes (in the middle of this photo) with my partner Sarah in Toronto last week! A mini Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing AND Ionian Center for the Arts & Culture reunion! Yes yes!

https://www.emmarhodes.net

Howdy! Here’s a video of me reading my poem “When Our Grasses Seem Humming” which was published recently in the Bennington Review.

Hot golly! My contributor copies of the new Bennington Review arrived with my poem “When Our Grasses Seem Humming,” as well as so much amazing work by so many poets and writers I adore. Thank you Bennington Review for this bright flame in March’s deep freeze!

What an honor to be nominated by a contributing editor (thank you!) for this year’s Pushcart Prize. Winning a Pushcart in 2018 was such a thrill and an honor. Fingers crossed for another chance!

Hot golly! Allium, A Journal of Poetry & Prose has just accepted my poems: “To Find the Ridge to Watch the Sun Drop” and “Fireflies Meadow Highway Ramp”!!! Huge thank you to Marc Meierkort, Tony Trigilio, and everyone who cultivates the Allium at Columbia College Chicago!