I find poetry workshops study more the theory and craft of writing poetry. I joined one in the past and found it to be filled with snobs who pretty much write bad poetry. Half of what they say can not even be understood. Their poetry consists of nothing more but verses of diarrhea metaphors. Hearing the opinions and critiques of other writers is a vital component of every creative writer's growth, however I find workshops don't take into count poetic licensing ;when they critique the submissions of members. They seem to be harsh and focus too much on the structure, style, and other elements of literature.

To be honest I don’t even think the types of poets who think they are teachers in the theory even look at the emotions put behind a poem. Many of these so called teachers have a toolkit for criticism. They pick apart your poem and when they are finished, you are not even left with your own thoughts. Workshops are just made of a bunch of writers who think they are expert critiques. One might look at me because I can’t spell to save my butt and my punctuation leaves much to be desired, however that is what I have an editor for. I am passionate about writing and spend hours putting my words on paper. To me that is what poetry is about.