Ada Limón Master Class

Ada Limón Master Class

From International Writers' Collective by International Writers' Collective

March 8, 2026 · 56 min

About this episode

Ada Limón discusses her poetic craft and creative process with IWC Director Sarah Carriger.

Ada Limón — former U.S. Poet Laureate and one of the most celebrated poets writing in America today — sits down with IWC Director Sarah Carriger to talk about what she’s learned in her over 20-year career. Drawing on her book Startlement, which features new poems alongside work from her previous six collections, Limón speaks about her approach to craft, her process, and how she keeps making art when the world feels like it’s on fire. In this episode, she shares insights on: Revision and what she’s learned from looking back at her early work Assembling a collection and writing toward what’s missing Line breaks, musicality, and the prose poem Writing through grief, anger, and global upheaval Protecting your creative space The daily practices that have sustained her writing life for decades Warm, honest, and genuinely encouraging, this is the kind of conversation that makes you want to rush straight to your desk and start writing. Recorded live in Amsterdam on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2026. The International Writers’ Collective offers 8-week creative writing courses in Amsterdam, The Hague, and online. Learn more about our programme…

People in this episode

Host: Sarah Carriger

Guest: Ada Limón

Topics covered

  • poetry
  • creative writing
  • artistic process
  • revision
  • emotional expression
  • craft

Keywords

  • poet laureate
  • writing process
  • revision
  • creative space
  • emotional writing
  • poetry collection

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: International Writers' Collective

Books & works: Startlement

Places: Amsterdam

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