About
Surprise the Line is a community poetry workshop based in Long Beach, California, on the traditional homeland of the Tongva people. We welcome participants to our virtual meetings from anywhere in the world via Zoom.
Our workshops are designed to be nurturing for the soul and stimulating for the mind. It is our mission to spread the joy and necessity of creativity everywhere, one line at a time.
Philosophy
COMMUNITY:
Writing is good for the soul, and poetry allows room for your imagination to roam. We believe that everyone can write, and that the practice of writing allows us to cultivate a deep relationship with our internal self and our external world.
CRAFT:
Structure allows room for experimentation. Taking our work seriously doesn’t mean taking ourselves too seriously! Invite surprise onto the page. Have fun! Poetry is discovery. What else is there to do but create?
Whether you are most interested in finding your voice, honing your craft, learning new writing techniques, facilitating healing, or simply connecting deeply to yourself, others and the world around you, please feel welcome here.
Diversity Statement
We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate. We believe in empowering more writing on the page and encouraging more diverse voices in the world. We operate with an anti-racist, anti-ableist, anti-sexist, anti-classist, anti-xenophobic, nondenominational, pro-LGBTQIA, pro-environment and global worldview. We bring the values of integrity, generosity, compassion, critical thinking, and equity into every workshop.
About Equity
We understand that oppressive forces in modern society have created many socioeconomic barriers for people to access the arts, and we believe that everyone deserves to have art resources in their lives, so all workshops are offered either donation-based or sliding scale. We trust that if you are in the Owning Class and are able to pay full price for the workshop, you will. Thank you! And for Working Class folks, please choose the option that is comfortable for you.
Scholarships are available on an as-needed basis to access workshops for free. Please email with inquiries.
Story
In January 2017, Nancy made a bold move and offered an 8-week poetry class on poetic forms to her local Long Beach community. The first class filled up so quickly that she added a second time slot. Since then, she’s been adding and experimenting with workshop types, and continues to build new offerings.
In 2020, the pandemic compelled Surprise the Line to become entirely virtual, and on April 1st, Nancy began hosting a daily writing session called Rise & Shine that lasted for 6 months. In January 2021, Surprise the Line began expanding to offer guest teacher workshops on different topics.
Then, in summer 2021 Nancy needed to take a break from running Surprise the Line in order to finish her MFA. After a 2-year hiatus, Surprise the Line returned with a weekly Rise & Shine workshop co-taught by Nancy and Shelly. Now we’re back up and running! The organization continues to evolve so who knows what’s next?
A Community of Writers
Holiday BINGO! Reading Party & Open Mic - December 2020