Hope in the Ruins: Writing Our Way Out of The Waste Land
This FEAP poetry and reflection course invites participants to read T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land as both a literary and emotional landscape—one that mirrors our own cycles of exhaustion, fragmentation, and renewal.
Over three weeks, participants will read the poem in sections with guided reflection prompts provided between meetings. After completing the reading, participants will spend three additional weeks developing an original long poem inspired by The Waste Land, sharing excerpts in class for feedback and conversation.
Format & Flow
Duration: 6 weeks total (3 weeks reading & reflection, 3 weeks writing & workshop (Thursdays))
Meetings: Weekly 60-minute sessions via Zoom (or in person)
Between Meetings: Participants receive reading prompts, short exercises, and journaling reflections
Final Session: Group reading and discussion of each participant’s long poem
About Instructor
Shane Moran is a poet and writer whose work explores the intersections of memory, place, and devotion. He was shortlisted for the 2025 Vallum Chapbook Award and is a recipient of an American Poets Prize. A graduate of William & Mary, he is currently studying and writing at NYU’s Low-Residency MFA Writers Workshop in Paris. Dividing his time between Richmond, New York City, and Paris, he is always eager to talk about God, poetry, love, and grief—if you can find him.