Offerings

Kim creates a nurturing atmosphere and is very encouraging, making it easy to open up … her care and attention to each poet’s work is exemplary – there is kindness and respect and this amazing feedback that always motivates!—Ksenia Rychtycka

Private Mentorship & Writing Workshops

I have been fortunate to have had exceptional mentors in my life. I met my first writing mentor in one of those pivotal moments that didn’t seem pivotal at the time. I was a single mom, working two jobs to make ends meet, scribbling my musings in journals on lunch breaks and after my daughter went to bed. I decided to attend a three-day poetry intensive in the San Jacinto Mountains, despite the fact that the workshop cost more than my rent. It felt like an enormous risk to invest that much in my (mostly secret) creative aspirations. That’s where I met the woman who gave me my “permission slip” as Elizabeth Gilbert calls it in her book Big Magic, and who would later become my first writing mentor. She took my fledgling efforts at writing poetry seriously. It mattered to her that I wrote. That’s a gift I work hard to pay forward. 

Self-Paced Workshops at The Poetry Barn

Praise for Kim’s Workshops & Mentorship

From Kim’s Poetry Barn Workshops

I’ve taken many writing workshops over the years, but the ones I’ve had with Kim Noriega were
truly special. The content Kim presents – an array of lessons, videos, essays, articles and poems
– is informative and inspirational. And there are always varied perspectives — a smorgasbord of literary offerings. Kim also provides options for prompts so that you never feel stuck but can
take and use what calls to you. She is so generous with her time and knows how to zero in on
ways to strengthen the poem. It is a collaborative process and so rewarding to work with her.
Her gentle guidance has led me down new paths in my poetry. Kim creates a nurturing
atmosphere and is very encouraging, making it easy to open up — both in the workshop and on
the page. She goes the extra mile and her care and attention to each poet’s work is exemplary –
there is kindness and respect and this amazing feedback that always motivates! It is such a treat to take one of Kim’s workshops and one that reaps big rewards as you see your writing develop
and blossom. —Ksenia Rychtycka

Kim’s workshops have been nothing short of inspirational. More than that. Inspiration is a small part of the writing process…from process to product. She has such a clear eye in her critiques, and she somehow manages to point to poet indulgences while providing over the top encouragement. I feel so good about myself as a poet, thanks to her. And I see my own work better, with a clear eye. What a gift. I honestly feel that these workshops are the equal of mini-MFA’s. —Matthew Krasner

From Kim’s Poetry Workshop at Crossroads Recovery Home for Alcoholic Women

I can’t believe the things you get me to write.  I had no idea
I could write at all, let alone poetry.  I love your class. —Sabina, Resident

I always look forward to you coming here and reading poetry to us.
I’m getting better at writing and not being shy about sharing what I write. —Jen, Resident

I’m so glad the women have this class.  I took a creative writing class myself recently
and I thought it would be very beneficial to the women at Crossroads.  I’m grateful
you’re here doing this work. — Maria Costello, Executive Director, Crossroads Recovery Home