The Poetry of Passion
4-weeks (first 4) | Registration opens 2/14/2026 9:00 AM EST
“I would rather die of passion than of boredom,” wrote Vincent van Gogh. Would you? How would you define this passion? Is it all about sensual pleasure or intangible belief? Is it driven by an art or a cause? Whatever its form, passion grabs you. Its hallmarks are intensity and commitment—its emotional energy cannot be ignored. This course will explore poets’ views on passion as seen in love, nature, place and service, drawing on writers such as Mary Oliver, Pablo Neruda, Billy Collins, Ellen Bass, and others who, in Seamus Heaney's words, “set the darkness echoing.” Poems will be emailed in advance of each class.
Marcy Heidish-Dolan
Marcy Heidish-Dolan is an award-winning author of 18 published books: poetry, fiction and nonfiction. She is a recipient of a Schubert Fellowship and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. A Vassar College honors graduate, Marcy has taught creative writing and English Literature at Georgetown, George Washington, and Fordham Universities. For almost twenty years she was a regular weekly volunteer at a local shelter for homeless women. Marcy and her husband are long-time residents of Washington, D.C.