What Shines Through:
Writing from Shadow to Joy

Saturday, August 9th, 2025
Poetry • Online • 10am–3pm ET

You are invited to a one-day live online poetry workshop with Ella Peary.

Have you ever wondered how to write poems that are joyful, but not sentimental?

During this generative poetry workshop, we’ll explore joy as something earned, embodied, and illuminated by shadow.

Through this workshop, you’ll uncover and refine poems that hold joy while retaining honesty and complexity. We will also explore how to shape language that resists sentimentality, allowing sincerity to rise through the texture of lived experience.

We’ll also focus on how poetry can move through difficulty toward radiance–tracing the light that emerges when we write with emotional clarity.

Before writing, we’ll explore tools for resisting sentimentality and allowing sincerity to rise through the texture of lived experience. And after writing, we’ll explore strategies for editing that will sharpen the reader’s experience of sincere joy on the page.

The workshop will include a mix of craft instruction, writing time, workshopping, revising, and sharing work. There will be plenty of time to ask questions, and engage in discussions with your instructor. Keep in mind, there will be breaks included, so you can have plenty of time to eat, stretch, etc.

You’ll leave this workshop with three new drafts, one revised piece, and fresh strategies for writing and revising.

For those interested in participating, you’re encouraged to enroll right away.

Course Schedule

The course is entirely online, and hosted via Zoom. You'll also get full access to a course discussion board, so you can share and discuss your work with the class, even after the official course dates.

Date: Saturday, August 9th, 2025
Session 1: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Break: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
Session 2: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET
Times are shown in Eastern Time. Enable JavaScript to see times in your local timezone.

About Ella Peary

Ella Peary is the pen name of an internationally published author and editor. She was just six years old when she started writing flashes, and she hasn't stopped since. 

After earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in Poetry from Sarah Lawrence College, she lived abroad in a monastery for five years where she served as an editor for Darshan Press and Inword Publishers.

She's edited writing published in The Huffington Post, and a number of full-length manuscripts she's edited have received major international awards, including The Best Graphic Novel of the Year (Comics Finlandia), The Montaigne Medal, and The National India Excellence Awards. 

She's a columnist at Ruminate, and her writing is frequently translated for publication in Ananda, one of Europe's best-selling yoga magazines. 

She is a long-time literary journal reviewer and editor at Authors Publish Magazine. She wrote The Author's Publish Quick Start Guide to Flash Fiction. 


Reviews of Workshops with Ella Peary

5 star rating

Worth Its Weight in Gold

LINDA MCQUARRIE-BOWERMAN

I previously reviewed this course and my comments are below. This newer comment is to say that because of Ella's instruction and guidance, my poetry has continued to improve. I have confidence in my unique poetic voice and have developed the skill...

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I previously reviewed this course and my comments are below. This newer comment is to say that because of Ella's instruction and guidance, my poetry has continued to improve. I have confidence in my unique poetic voice and have developed the skills to combine that voice with poetic technique and flair. As a result, I've now been published in nine journals and five anthologies. Most recently, I won the Mondfood Magazine Poem of the Year Award 2023, the 2024 Mulga Bill Poetry Award in Victoria Australia and I am currently short-listed for the South Coast (NSW Australia) Writer's Centre Poetry Award. I also tried my hand at Flash Fiction, something I will continue to pursue, and I short-listed in my first Flash competition. With results like that, and I hope more to come, I will always be grateful I took Ella's course. 2022 Ella Peary IS this course. It was worth every penny and the confidence and knowledge I have gained have resulted in 2 more poems being accepted for publication within a few weeks of finishing the course. Applying what Ella has taught me to my work is no doubt why I will write with added confidence and also look at poetics more deeply. It has also inspired me to seek out further formal education so I can become my own favourite Poet!

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5 star rating

I Got Published

William Rettig

Before I took this course, I was not even sure I was writing poetry. I knew my poetry was more narrative and less language-based, but that didn't mean that I did not use sharp images and oddly descriptive phrases like other poets did. It was jus...

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Before I took this course, I was not even sure I was writing poetry. I knew my poetry was more narrative and less language-based, but that didn't mean that I did not use sharp images and oddly descriptive phrases like other poets did. It was just that I thought my poems often told a story that seemed understandable and were not encoded in images that needed to be interpreted in order to make sense of the product. But I received positive feedback on my writing, encouragement to continue writing, and signals on how to improve my writing. So to make a long story short, two weeks after I had finished the course, I had had two poems accepted by literary magazines. One was going to go online very soon and the other was coming out in a February 2021 issue. I feel my time, energy, and money were used to great advantage in this course, and I would take it again in a heartbeat.

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5 star rating

I truly enjoyed this course.

Debra thompson

I enjoyed the Poetry Writing Class with Ms. Ella Perry. It was thought-provoking, encouraging and helpful to me as a writer of poetry. I especially enjoyed the interaction with the other students and the feedback from Ms. Perry. I plan to apply ma...

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I enjoyed the Poetry Writing Class with Ms. Ella Perry. It was thought-provoking, encouraging and helpful to me as a writer of poetry. I especially enjoyed the interaction with the other students and the feedback from Ms. Perry. I plan to apply many of the things I learned in this class to enhance my previously written poems as well as to improve any future poems I plan to write. It is a class well worth taking if you don’t have a lot of time, but you enjoy working at your own pace with some helpful guidance.

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5 star rating

Eye opening

Rebecca Moore

I have taken the last two FF workshops with Ella. As a long-time, older writer, I have learned an entirely new genre of writing, found great satisfaction and joy in it, and learned a tremendous amount about my writing and editing that has informed...

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I have taken the last two FF workshops with Ella. As a long-time, older writer, I have learned an entirely new genre of writing, found great satisfaction and joy in it, and learned a tremendous amount about my writing and editing that has informed all of my writing; creative short stories, poetry, even my business letters...crazy but true... I would recommend Ella’s WS to anyone looking to improve their writing. The learning something new is lagniappe.

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5 star rating

I Got Published

William Rettig

Before I took this course, I was not even sure I was writing poetry. I knew my poetry was more narrative and less language-based, but that didn't mean that I did not use sharp images and oddly descriptive phrases like other poets did. It was jus...

Read More

Before I took this course, I was not even sure I was writing poetry. I knew my poetry was more narrative and less language-based, but that didn't mean that I did not use sharp images and oddly descriptive phrases like other poets did. It was just that I thought my poems often told a story that seemed understandable and were not encoded in images that needed to be interpreted in order to make sense of the product. But I received positive feedback on my writing, encouragement to continue writing, and signals on how to improve my writing. So to make a long story short, two weeks after I had finished the course, I had had two poems accepted by literary magazines. One was going to go online very soon and the other was coming out in a February 2021 issue. I feel my time, energy, and money were used to great advantage in this course, and I would take it again in a heartbeat.

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5 star rating

The Poetry Workshop With Ella Peary

Jennie Marie Naffie

I love poetry and know a little about it but realized quickly I knew very little. At first, I was a little intimidated--yet intrigued. When I simply admitted I didn't know a lot, I read the material with an open mind. It was wonderful! I learned s...

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I love poetry and know a little about it but realized quickly I knew very little. At first, I was a little intimidated--yet intrigued. When I simply admitted I didn't know a lot, I read the material with an open mind. It was wonderful! I learned so much. Ella made everyone feel comfortable. She was kind yet specific in her critiques and helped me see beyond what I wrote in order to make the poem better. This was not an easy class for me but am so glad I took it. I already enjoy more poetry because of the assigned readings. It is the type of class I would take again. Ella Peary is an excellent teacher--there is no doubt she knows poetry--and more importantly, knows how to get us to dig deeper, think outside the box. Thank you so much for this class!

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5 star rating

Chock full of excellent instruction and sensitive feedback

Christina Holbrook

I really loved how this course was put together: from history of flashes, to basic instruction and then diving in deeper with editing techniques. Getting the practical help of how and where to submit also really makes this course super-valuable. F...

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I really loved how this course was put together: from history of flashes, to basic instruction and then diving in deeper with editing techniques. Getting the practical help of how and where to submit also really makes this course super-valuable. Finally, having the sense that the instructor, Ella Peary, was personally interested in my progress has meant so much to me. I appreciated (and admired!) Ella's ability to come at each individual piece with such excellent and sensitive feedback. The writing prompts in the workshop (as well as Ella's additional list of prompts) are another great resource for future writing projects. I didn't use the student message board as much as I could have -- but I noticed that many students did and really enjoyed the feedback and camaraderie. I absolutely recommend this course, in fact -- I might take it again at some point!! - Christina

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5 star rating

Flash Fiction

lynnecurry10 Curry

Ella offered us a lot; I'm very glad I took this course. I like Ella's teaching style and the supportive, insightful way in which she offers critiques.

Ella offered us a lot; I'm very glad I took this course. I like Ella's teaching style and the supportive, insightful way in which she offers critiques.

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5 star rating

Excellent workshopping opportunities with a very responsive instructor

Tara Guy

I learned a lot in this fun course! Flash fiction is a very distinctive form, and harder than it looks, given its short form. Ella distills this fiction sub-category down to its essential elements, and gives great examples of how to find and writ...

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I learned a lot in this fun course! Flash fiction is a very distinctive form, and harder than it looks, given its short form. Ella distills this fiction sub-category down to its essential elements, and gives great examples of how to find and write your flashpoint. A kind, generous and supportive instructor, she offers a specific, hands-on, valuable critique on each piece her students submit. When you are finished, you'll have five flash fiction pieces polished and ready to submit. Go for it, you won't be sorry!

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5 star rating

A Workshop with Benefits

Deborah Richardson

I came away with a process to continue writing flashes and a portfolio of flashes ready for submission. I am so glad I took this course.

I came away with a process to continue writing flashes and a portfolio of flashes ready for submission. I am so glad I took this course.

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5 star rating

Flash Fixes

Suzanne Cottrell

The information, assignments, resources, feedback, journal recommendations, and exchange among the instructor and workshop participants was invaluable. I have grown so much as a writer thanks to Ella Peary and "The Flash Fiction Workshop." I hig...

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The information, assignments, resources, feedback, journal recommendations, and exchange among the instructor and workshop participants was invaluable. I have grown so much as a writer thanks to Ella Peary and "The Flash Fiction Workshop." I highly recommend this workshop!

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5 star rating

You win some. You learn some

Rebecca Moore

I have thoroughly enjoyed every workshop I have taken with Authors Publish. Ella is one of the most informative instructors I have had the privilege of studying under. Her patience and kindness in her instruction and critiques are added teaching...

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I have thoroughly enjoyed every workshop I have taken with Authors Publish. Ella is one of the most informative instructors I have had the privilege of studying under. Her patience and kindness in her instruction and critiques are added teaching skills not everyone has in their toolbelts. I have always finished her workshops with insights that benefit and inform all of my writing.

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Enroll Now

Early bird tuition is available until August 2nd, 2025.