In Leaping Language: Exploring the Dynamics of Similes and Metaphors, Kristine Anderson invites writers to play with comparison, connection, and surprise through inspiring examples and creative prompts designed to get the imagination moving. Begins Sept. 17. www.riverheronreview.com/leaping-lang...

Celebrate the poems—and the poets—behind this year’s River Heron Poetry Prize! Join us Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. ET for a special evening with this year’s winner and finalists, along with our distinguished judge. Come listen, celebrate, and share in the poetry! Register at tiny.cc/mco8101

Leave ordinary at the door. In Dreamworlds: Writing to Surrealist Art, Barbara Krasner invites you to use the art of Dalí, Carrington, Varo, and others as a jumping-off point. All genres and skill levels welcome in this AwA workshop. Begins September 8. www.riverheronreview.com/dreamworlds-...

Beep beep—the pink poetry bus is back! The 2026 River Heron Review Editors’ Prize returns with $500 for the winner and $100 for each of four finalists. Submissions open Sept. 1–Nov. 15 through Submittable. Send us up to three poems you think deserve a seat.

Join Leonora Simonovis for The Hybrid Form: What, Why, How? Experiment with prose poems, vignettes, segmented and visual poems, received forms, and more. Play with possibility, and leave with new drafts—plus prompts to keep you writing. Begins Sept 3. www.riverheronreview.com/the-hybrid-p...

Join award-winning poets Melody Wilson and Emily Kedar for Second Sunday Book Club—a four-poet workshop devoted to strengthening participants’ full-length collections. Each poet receives five sets of written responses to their manuscript. Take the next step: www.riverheronreview.com/second-sunda...

In Poetry as a Coping Tool, Kelsey Bigelow guides writers through poetry practices for processing grief, loss, trauma, and difficult emotions. Participants explore writing as a way to process and move through challenging experiences. www.riverheronreview.com/poetry-as-a-...

In Braiding Poetry, Art and Reflection, poet Sandra Fees guides writers through four sessions exploring themes such as beginnings, curiosity, wildness, and possibility. Deepen your creative practice in a welcoming community. Starts Sept. 23. Learn more here. www.riverheronreview.com/braiding-poe...

Leave ordinary at the door. Step into Dreamworlds: Writing to Surrealist Art with Barbara Krasner and let the work of Dalí, Miró, Carrington, Varo, and others take your writing somewhere it hasn’t been before. Begins September 8. www.riverheronreview.com/dreamworlds-...

Join us for an online celebration of the River Heron Poetry Prize! Hear from this year’s winner, finalists, and our distinguished judge, as we celebrate their remarkable work on September 22 at 7 p.m. ET. We’d love to have you with us! Register at tiny.cc/mco8101

Former River Heron Review editor Robbin Farr brings an editor’s eye to the choices that shape a poem. One participant said, “What she did was to lay out options. I love options. There’s no right or wrong way to write poetry, but perhaps ‘better ways.’” www.riverheronreview.com/poetry-boost

One of RHR’s original workshops, Managing Your Muse: A Creative Writing Experience offers a welcoming, all-genre AWA experience designed to inspire and generate first drafts. Kathleen Olesky welcomes writers of all experience levels. Begins September 21. www.riverheronreview.com/awa-creative...

Join Kristine Anderson for Leaping Language: Exploring the Dynamics of Similes and Metaphors, a workshop devoted to the possibilities of figurative language. Experiment through exercises and prompts designed to spark unexpected connections. Learn more at www.riverheronreview.com/leaping-lang...

What happens when we let a poem find its own form? In The Hybrid Form: What, Why, How?, Leonora Simonovis invites writers to experiment with prose poems, vignettes, segmented and visual poems and more. Play with possibility in your own writing. www.riverheronreview.com/the-hybrid-p...

Join Julie Feibush for Write the Story of Your Life, an exploration of memoir through letters, emails, and journal entries. Writers will explore themes of passion, recovery, legacy, and gratitude while discovering a new approach to their own stories. www.riverheronreview.com/write-the-st...

What could six sessions do for your poetry manuscript? Join award-winning poets Melody Wilson and Emily Kedar for Second Sunday Book Club—a four-poet workshop devoted to reading, discussing, and strengthening participants’ full-length collections. www.riverheronreview.com/second-sunda...

“Before knowing how a windshield spider-webs into glittering pieces that throw sun into the wound—how glass steals a bullet's speed, urges it into tendon,” Read more of “To Live Through the Day,” finalist for the River Heron Poetry Prize by Alene Terzian-Zeitounian. bit.ly/4wQMGkJ

Sometimes writing helps us find our way through. In Poetry as a Coping Tool, Kelsey Bigelow guides writers through poetry practices for processing grief, loss, trauma, and difficult emotions. Learn more at www.riverheronreview.com/poetry-as-a-...

In Braiding Poetry, Art and Reflection: A Generative Workshop, poet Sandra Fees guides writers through four sessions exploring themes such as beginnings, curiosity, wildness, and possibility. With prompts, time to write, and feedback, you’ll deepen your practice. Learn more at bit.ly/4fYnn9f

Braiding Poetry, Art, and Reflection: A Generative Workshop — River Heron Review

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“You couldn't get a word out of her, her branches lifted after years of sinking with the weight of bearing fruit,…” Read more of Emily Schulten’s “The Dead Tree Bursts into Mango Blossom,” finalist for the River Heron Review Poetry Prize. bit.ly/4fJZtPV

Here is the place where we don't have to lie if post a picture of the Brandenburg Gate filtered in Prussian blue you will know I see my father's ghost Read “Instagram Posts for My Father” by Gabrielle Langley, finalist for RHR Poetry Prize. bit.ly/4z0XFtr

One of Barbara Krasner students says “The writing that comes out of her workshops is simply astounding…She encourages strength-based feedback, and helps writers nourish each other with valuable insight that makes you want to write more.” Discover one of her River Heron workshops this fall.

Dreamworlds: Writing to Surrealist Art — River Heron Review

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“…Another drop of ink inside that bubble, another drop of water, expanding like tree rings or the universe.” Read Barbara Ungar’s poem “Suminagashi,” winner of the River Heron Poetry Prize. bit.ly/4ze5sEq

Take your poems from draft to submission-ready in four weeks. A favorite, Poetry Boost guides you from titles and first lines to memorable endings and smart submission strategies, with insight from former River Heron Review editor Robbin Farr. Learn more at www.riverheronreview.com/poetry-boost

Insightful, generous, and thought-provoking—don’t miss Meghan Elizabeth Kelley’s interview with poet, game designer, and multimedia artist Keith S. Wilson in our new issue.

...with Keith S. Wilson by Meghan Elizabeth Kelley — River Heron Review

Keith S. Wilson is a poet, game designer, and multimedia artist. He is an Affrilachian Poet, a Cave Canem fellow, and a recipient of an NEA Fellowship, a Kenyon Review Fellowship, and a Stegner Fellow...

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Every issue is shaped by the generosity of poets willing to share their work. We’re deeply grateful to these contributors to Issue 9.2 and the River Heron Poetry Prize. Read their poems here: www.riverheronreview.com/issue-92

Issue 9.2 is here, along with the River Heron Poetry Prize and interview with Keith S. Wilson. Congratulations to all of the poets whose extraordinary work appears in these issues! www.riverheronreview.com/issue-92

A new season invites new work. Our Fall Writing Workshops bring together fresh offerings along with beloved favorites, led by accomplished, welcoming instructors. Wherever you are in your writing journey, we invite you to join us. Explore the full schedule at www.riverheronreview.com/writing-work...

Writing Workshops — River Heron Review

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Congratulations to Barbara Ungar, winner of the River Heron Poetry Prize! We appreciate judge Alison Tanik for her consideration of this year’s submissions. Congratulations also to finalists Gabrielle Langley, Emily Schulten, and Alene Terzian-Zeitounian. Discover these poems, available August 1.

Congratulations to Melody Wilson on the publication of her new collection, Madre Dura, winner of the Paul Nemser Poetry Prize. This fall she will lead Second Sunday Book Club, a workshop for poets seeking feedback on a full-length collection. Learn more at www.riverheronreview.com/second-sunda....

Second Sunday Book Club — River Heron Review

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