WORKSHOP GROUPS
Group 1
Hallie
Emily
Nic
EJ
Stephen
Group 2
John
Lindsey
Jamaica
Alfredo
Charlotte
Orla
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Monday, September 22, 2008
Syllabus and Course Schedule
English 92: Reading and Writing Poetry
Stanford University, Spring 2010
ENG 92: Monday/Wednesday 1:15-3:05, Room 110-111A
Office Hours M/W 11-noon & 5-530, Margaret Jacks Hall, Room 211
English 92 is an introductory course in the art and craft of poetry writing. The early weeks of the course will be assignment-driven, with focus paid to the nuts and bolts of craft (image, simile and metaphor, the music of the line, etc.). The latter part of the course will center on original student writing. Each student will bring in 2 original poems to the class for round-table discussions (“workshops”). This course will facilitate a creative, positive, and serious atmosphere for all students, regardless of prior poetry experience.
Texts: The Poet’s Companion, edited by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux
Ocean Avenue by Malena Mörling
The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body by Alberto Ríos
All books are available at the Stanford Book Store. You are responsible for getting these books. Stanford Book Store never orders enough books, so plan accordingly.
Office Hours: I hold office hours for 3 hours each week (M/W 11-noon, 5-530). Feel free to drop by to talk about your work, poetry in general, your grade, etc. These office hours are for you. Also, if you have a question or concern about the course, please see me in office hours before you email me. I only check email once a day (at the most), and choose not to have an Internet connection at home. Please help me in trying to cut down on the amount of email.
Course Blog: http://eng92.blogspot.com
The blog is designed to give you a place to keep track of the course, find due dates, use helpful links, learn about upcoming events, keep track of the workshop schedule, look at the syllabus, etc. My hope is that most of your basic questions can be answered by the information you find posted on our course blog.
Housekeeping: Please, as a courtesy to me and your classmates, don’t use your laptop (or BlackBerry, or iPhone, etc.) during class. There's never an appropriate time to send a text message during this class. Please keep your cell phones turned off and stowed away. A pen and notebook is all you’ll need for this course. Please bring your books to class. And please please please label everything you turn in with your full name, the course, and the specific assignment. Anything you turn in that has more than one page needs to be stapled.
REQUIREMENTS:
Class Participation: 30%
This portion of the grade will be determined by your coming to class, by being on time, by your contribution to discussions, and by your willingness to contribute to a positive and creative classroom atmosphere. A poem cannot (and should not) be graded, but your willingness to participate can. This is a large portion of the grade. How can you help? Don’t miss class. Be on time. Be respectful to your peers and their creative efforts. Missing class, failing to bring your book(s), being late--these things have the potential to substantially lower your final grade. I take class participation seriously.
Your Creative Work: 30%
This includes all writing and reading assignments; turning in at least 2 original poems for our roundtable discussions; and revising the pieces that you turned in for discussion. I don’t have a list of specific writing and readings assignments on this syllabus. Why not? Each creative writing class takes on a life of its own, and I’ll need to get a feel for the class before deciding what direction to take. That said, you’ll know in advance what the assignments are in two ways: 1) I’ll announce them in class 2) I’ll post them on the class blog.
Short Book Review: 10%
500-750 words. This assignment will be given late in the course. This is not a scholarly research paper, but a venue for you to employ your expanding poetic vocabulary and knowledge. This paper can be quite informal, yet the usual English Department standards will be applied to its grade (spelling, grammar, usage, etc.).
Recitation / Creative Project: 10%
All students must complete one of the following projects:
A) Memorize and recite a poem of at least 20 lines from one of the 3 assigned books or from course handouts. If you feel uncomfortable reciting a poem in front of the class, you are welcome to recite it during my office hours.
or
B) Create a multimedia project using 1 (or more!) of the poems from any of the 3 assigned books or the course handouts and present it to the class. This might include making a broadside, a short interpretive video, etc. This project can be broadly interpreted. This is, after all, an art class. Here are some links to poems that were made into videos: Allen Ginsberg's "America," Philip Levine's "To My God in His Sickness," VW advertisement using Dylan Thomas poem, Dorianne Laux's "Facts About the Moon."
Self Evaluation: 10%
250-500 words, typed. This short, informal paper will be included in your final portfolio. The point of this assignment is to give you a venue to articulate a few of your thoughts and feelings about poetry. Did a particular poet or poem open a door for you this quarter? Do you feel that you’ve improved as a poet? If you view yourself as primarily a fiction or nonfiction writer, how has reading and writing poetry shaped you as a literary artist? There are no wrong approaches to this short paper—only you can evaluate yourself.
Final Portfolio: 10%
Each student will compile a final portfolio to be turned in on the last day of the course. This portfolio will contain all assignments, the poems you’ve written during the course, revisions, your short book review, your self-evaluation. Please, don’t bind your portfolio. A simple binder clip or staple will do.
Readings: There are several excellent readings and book signings given throughout the year by Stanford’s resident and visiting writers. It is the policy of the Creative Writing Department that you attend 3 of these offered readings. I will announce these readings in class and on our course blog. A listing of readings and events can be found on the Creative Writing Department’s website. http://www.stanford.edu/group/creativewriting/events.html
Grading: The grading breaks downs as follows:
Class Participation 30%
Creative Work 30% (completion and submission of writing and reading assignments, including original work and revisions)
Short Book Review 10%
Recitation / Creative Project 10%
Self Evaluation 10%
Final Portfolio 10%
FYI, the highest grade you can earn in this course in an A, not an A+.
Late work will incur a 50% grade reduction. Emailing an assignment is not the same as turning an assignment in. No emailed assignments will be accepted. There will be no “extra credit” options during this course.
You can miss two classes (starting on the first day of class)—any additional missed classes will lower your final grade by 1/3 of a letter. For example, if you were earning an A and missed 3 classes, your final grade would become an A-. If you were earning an A and missed four classes, your final grade would become a B+, and so forth. If you need to miss class for a religious observation / holiday, please let me know A WEEK IN ADVANCE of your absence.
Paperwork: You will receive a lot of paper in this course, such as hand-outs, student poems, and critiques from your peers. Be prepared to get organized! Consider purchasing a file folder or binder. Do not discard any of your work during the quarter. To save you a few bucks I choose to use handouts instead of a course packet, which equals lots of miscellaneous paper.
Christina Ablaza: Christina Ablaza is the office coordinator for the Creative Writing Department. Christina knows everything about everything—course lottery, courses offered, departmental prizes and contests, the Levinthal Tutorial, readings and book signings…the list goes on. Christina's office number is 650-723-0011. Get to know Christina--she's a go-to resource.
Disability Support: Students who have a disability that may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services must initiate the request with the Disability Resource Center (DRC). The DRC is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk; 723-1066.
Academic Integrity: For questions regarding proper classroom and student conduct, please refer to the Stanford Student Honor Code.
Emergency Numbers: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): 650-723-3785; The Bridge Peer Counseling: 650-723-3392
Finally—I will do everything in my power to make this an enjoyable and valuable learning experience for you. I’ll do all I can to make this your favorite class!
______________________________
COURSE SCHEDULE
Course Schedule, ENG 92, Spring 2010
----------
M-March 29:
What we’ll do: introductions, syllabus, image list assignment (50 objects that are important to you; 20 memories you associate with those objects; 20 sensory details you associate with those memories and objects. Please type this and bring it to class for Wednesday).
W-April 31:
What’s due: image list: 50 objects that are important to you; 20 memories you associate with those objects; 20 sensory details you associate with those memories and objects (typed).
What's due: The Poet's Companion: please read "Writing and Knowing," pages 19-29, and complete 1 of the 7 exercises at the end of this chapter. Turn this is to me (typed).
What we’ll do: elements of craft, Neruda handout, in-class writing, simile assignment.
----------
M-April 5:
What's due: The Poet’s Companion: please read “Simile and Metaphor,” pages 94-103, and complete 1 of the following writing exercise from page 103: #6, #7, or #8. Turn this in to me (typed).
What’s due: please turn in your simile assignment (typed). Simile assignment: This poem should have a title, 10 stanzas, and each stanza should be a simile. There are no right or wrong ways to write this poem, so follow your instincts. Choose a title that interests you, like THE NIGHT, for example:
THE NIGHT
The night is like an interesting simile.
The night is like a buried ghost.
It's like baking bread
in a dream, and the oven
is calling my name.
The night is like an animal eating itself.
The night is as vast as an empire
on the edge of ruin.
And so forth...
What we’ll do: read and discuss simile assignment, elements of craft handout, discussion of Sharon Olds's "I Go Back to May 1937," Philip Levine's "Starlight," and Jack Gilbert's "The Forgotten Dialect of the Heart" (time permitting).
W-April 7:
What we’ll do: talk about the inventory / list as a poetic strategy, handouts (Frank Stanford, Kijima Hajime, Nazim Hikmet, Gunter Eich, Stephan Torre).
----------
M-April 12:
What's due: inventory / list poem assignment.
Your inventory / list poem. This poem should be at least a page. There's no right or wrong way to approach this assignment. Consulting your image list is always a good idea-- these images will more than likely have a narrative and emotional weight to them.
What we'll do: discussion of your poem
W-April 14:
What we'll do: discussion of object poems, discussion of controlling image, handouts (Charles Simic, Vasko Popa, Miguel Hernandez, Larry Levis).
----------
M-April 19:
What's due: object poem / controlling image poem: For this assignment, you should write a 20- to 30-line poem that uses a non-human object as its controlling image. This poem is wide open to interpretation. Think of Vasko Popa's "Little Box" and Miguel Hernandez's "Lullaby"; these poems are vastly different, yet they both use an object (a box and an onion, respectively) to ground the poem and create meaning. Perhaps you'd like to explore the inner life of an object, as we find in Charles Simic's meditative poem "Stone." Or maybe you'd rather write a hybrid of a controlling image poem and an object poem, like Larry Levis's "Some Grass Along a Ditch Bank." The point of this exercise is to use a non-human object to create meaning; and it's also a platform to let your imagination run wild.
What we'll do: discuss the object poems, handout (time permitting)
W-April 21:
What we'll do:discussion of the sestina, sestina handouts (B.H. Fairchild and Elizabeth Bishop), sestina assignment.
----------
M-April 26:
What's due: Poet's Companion: please read "The Music of the Line," pages 104-114, and complete one of the assignments at the end of the chapter. Turn this in to me (typed).
What's due: your sestina. Remember, here are the 6 words you'll be using in your sestina: 3 objects from your image list, 1 color, 1 abstraction, and 1 word of your choice.
What we'll do: discussion of your sestina, discussion of line breaks.
What we'll do:discussion of the epistolary poem ("Exile's Letter" handout), letter poem assignment.
W-April 28: NO CLASS
----------
M-May 3:
What's due: Epistolary poem (letter poem). Use Li Po's "Exile's Letter" as your example and guide. There are no strict rules for this assignment, other than using a direct address (that is to say, write the poem to somebody). Examine the elements you most admire in "Exile's Letter" and use them in your own poem. Remember, this is just an assignment. Don't try to make this a "perfect" poem--free yourself up to get as much imagery and detail in as possible. This poem can be serious, sarcastic, angry, funny, etc. The important part is that you experiment with the elements of poetic technique that we've discussed in class.
W-May 5:
Group 1 distributes poems to class.
What's due: The Poet's Companion: please read "Images," pages 85-93, and complete 1 of the exercises from page 93. Turn this in to me (typed).
What we'll do: In-class reading and discussion of Paul Celan and Jared Carter.
----------
M-May 10:
Workshop poems from Group 1.
Group 2 distributes poems to class.
W-May 12:
Group 1 turns in revisions to me. (Please staple the original draft of your poem to your revision.)
Please have read and be ready to discuss:
The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body:
"Day of the Refugios", "The Birdman of Nogales", "A Simple Thing to Know", "At the Street Parties for the 16 de Septiembre, Nogales, Mexico, 1962", "Refugio's Hair"
Ocean Avenue:
"Visiting", "We are Here," "Constellations", "Aether", "You Look Outside"
----------
M-May 17:
Workshop Group 2.
Group 1 distributes poems to class.
W-May 19:
Group 2 turns in revisions to me. (Please staple the original draft of your poem to your revision.)
Please have read and be ready to discuss:
Ocean Avenue:
"For F.M Who Did Not Get Killed Yesterday on 57th Street", "On 7th Avenue South", "Among Pillars of Dust", "The Dark Drinks the Insides of Mirrors"
The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body:
"Small Risings", "French Postales", "The Venus Trombones"
----------
M-May 24:
Workshop Group 1.
W-May 26:
Group 1 turns in revisions to me. (Please staple the original draft of your poem to your revision.)
Group 2 distributes poems to class
Please have read and be ready to discuss:
Ocean Avenue:
"How Wondrous Strange It Was at That Moment to Be in the Flesh", "Standing on the Earth Among the Cows", "In This World", "Air"
The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body:
"The Cities Inside Us", "Oranges in a Tree", "The Gathering Evening", "Gray Dogs", "My Coyote"
----------
M-May 31:
NO CLASS , MEMORIAL DAY
W-June 2:
Workshop Group 2.
Group 2 turns in revisions with portfolio. (Please staple the original draft of your poem to your revision.)
Please have read and be ready to discuss: Ocean Avenue:
"In the Moon of Making Fat," "After Ritsos"
The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body:
"Rabbits and Fire," "The Dog Inside Mine," "The Lemon Kind of Baseball," "Domingo Limon"
What's due: Short Book Review: 500-750 words. This is not a scholarly research paper, but a venue for you to employ your expanding poetic vocabulary and knowledge. This paper can be quite informal, yet the usual English Department standards will be applied to its grade (spelling, grammar, usage, etc.). You can write about any of the books we've read for this class (The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body, Ocean Avenue). If you'd like to write on a book we haven't covered in class, feel free to choose from one of the following: Dirt by Jo McDougall, Her Slender Dress by Susan Yuzna, Magic City by Yusef Komunyakaa, Lunch Poems by Frank O'Hara, Letters to a Stranger by Thomas James, The Gold Cell by Sharon Olds, The Singing Knives by Frank Stanford, All-American Poem by Matthew Dickman, Awake by Dorianne Laux, Atlantis by Mark Doty, One for the Rose by Philip Levine, or Dream of a Common Language by Adrienne Rich.
Last Day of Class! Last chance for recitations and presentations of creative projects!
What we'll do: Odds and ends...
----------
Friday-June 4th: NO CLASS
Portfolios due! Don't forget to include your self evaluation in your portfolio (250-500 words, typed). This short, informal paper will give you a venue to articulate a few of your thoughts and feelings about poetry. Did a particular poet or poem open a door for you this quarter? Do you feel that you’ve improved as a poet? If you view yourself as primarily a fiction or nonfiction writer, how has reading and writing poetry shaped you as a literary artist? There are no wrong approaches to this short paper—only you can evaluate yourself.
WHAT GOES IN THE PORTFOLIO?
--all of your assignments (no need to turn in new, clean copies)
--all of your first drafts (two poems)
--all of your revisions (two poems)
--your short book review
--your self evaluation
HOW DO I FORMAT MY PORTFOLIO?
--Please don't use a folder or binder. A simple staple or binder clip will do.
Please drop your final portfolios off at my office (Margaret Jacks Hall, room 211) any time before 3:00 pm. Have a great Break!!!
Stanford University, Spring 2010
ENG 92: Monday/Wednesday 1:15-3:05, Room 110-111A
Office Hours M/W 11-noon & 5-530, Margaret Jacks Hall, Room 211
English 92 is an introductory course in the art and craft of poetry writing. The early weeks of the course will be assignment-driven, with focus paid to the nuts and bolts of craft (image, simile and metaphor, the music of the line, etc.). The latter part of the course will center on original student writing. Each student will bring in 2 original poems to the class for round-table discussions (“workshops”). This course will facilitate a creative, positive, and serious atmosphere for all students, regardless of prior poetry experience.
Texts: The Poet’s Companion, edited by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux
Ocean Avenue by Malena Mörling
The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body by Alberto Ríos
All books are available at the Stanford Book Store. You are responsible for getting these books. Stanford Book Store never orders enough books, so plan accordingly.
Office Hours: I hold office hours for 3 hours each week (M/W 11-noon, 5-530). Feel free to drop by to talk about your work, poetry in general, your grade, etc. These office hours are for you. Also, if you have a question or concern about the course, please see me in office hours before you email me. I only check email once a day (at the most), and choose not to have an Internet connection at home. Please help me in trying to cut down on the amount of email.
Course Blog: http://eng92.blogspot.com
The blog is designed to give you a place to keep track of the course, find due dates, use helpful links, learn about upcoming events, keep track of the workshop schedule, look at the syllabus, etc. My hope is that most of your basic questions can be answered by the information you find posted on our course blog.
Housekeeping: Please, as a courtesy to me and your classmates, don’t use your laptop (or BlackBerry, or iPhone, etc.) during class. There's never an appropriate time to send a text message during this class. Please keep your cell phones turned off and stowed away. A pen and notebook is all you’ll need for this course. Please bring your books to class. And please please please label everything you turn in with your full name, the course, and the specific assignment. Anything you turn in that has more than one page needs to be stapled.
REQUIREMENTS:
Class Participation: 30%
This portion of the grade will be determined by your coming to class, by being on time, by your contribution to discussions, and by your willingness to contribute to a positive and creative classroom atmosphere. A poem cannot (and should not) be graded, but your willingness to participate can. This is a large portion of the grade. How can you help? Don’t miss class. Be on time. Be respectful to your peers and their creative efforts. Missing class, failing to bring your book(s), being late--these things have the potential to substantially lower your final grade. I take class participation seriously.
Your Creative Work: 30%
This includes all writing and reading assignments; turning in at least 2 original poems for our roundtable discussions; and revising the pieces that you turned in for discussion. I don’t have a list of specific writing and readings assignments on this syllabus. Why not? Each creative writing class takes on a life of its own, and I’ll need to get a feel for the class before deciding what direction to take. That said, you’ll know in advance what the assignments are in two ways: 1) I’ll announce them in class 2) I’ll post them on the class blog.
Short Book Review: 10%
500-750 words. This assignment will be given late in the course. This is not a scholarly research paper, but a venue for you to employ your expanding poetic vocabulary and knowledge. This paper can be quite informal, yet the usual English Department standards will be applied to its grade (spelling, grammar, usage, etc.).
Recitation / Creative Project: 10%
All students must complete one of the following projects:
A) Memorize and recite a poem of at least 20 lines from one of the 3 assigned books or from course handouts. If you feel uncomfortable reciting a poem in front of the class, you are welcome to recite it during my office hours.
or
B) Create a multimedia project using 1 (or more!) of the poems from any of the 3 assigned books or the course handouts and present it to the class. This might include making a broadside, a short interpretive video, etc. This project can be broadly interpreted. This is, after all, an art class. Here are some links to poems that were made into videos: Allen Ginsberg's "America," Philip Levine's "To My God in His Sickness," VW advertisement using Dylan Thomas poem, Dorianne Laux's "Facts About the Moon."
Self Evaluation: 10%
250-500 words, typed. This short, informal paper will be included in your final portfolio. The point of this assignment is to give you a venue to articulate a few of your thoughts and feelings about poetry. Did a particular poet or poem open a door for you this quarter? Do you feel that you’ve improved as a poet? If you view yourself as primarily a fiction or nonfiction writer, how has reading and writing poetry shaped you as a literary artist? There are no wrong approaches to this short paper—only you can evaluate yourself.
Final Portfolio: 10%
Each student will compile a final portfolio to be turned in on the last day of the course. This portfolio will contain all assignments, the poems you’ve written during the course, revisions, your short book review, your self-evaluation. Please, don’t bind your portfolio. A simple binder clip or staple will do.
Readings: There are several excellent readings and book signings given throughout the year by Stanford’s resident and visiting writers. It is the policy of the Creative Writing Department that you attend 3 of these offered readings. I will announce these readings in class and on our course blog. A listing of readings and events can be found on the Creative Writing Department’s website. http://www.stanford.edu/group/creativewriting/events.html
Grading: The grading breaks downs as follows:
Class Participation 30%
Creative Work 30% (completion and submission of writing and reading assignments, including original work and revisions)
Short Book Review 10%
Recitation / Creative Project 10%
Self Evaluation 10%
Final Portfolio 10%
FYI, the highest grade you can earn in this course in an A, not an A+.
Late work will incur a 50% grade reduction. Emailing an assignment is not the same as turning an assignment in. No emailed assignments will be accepted. There will be no “extra credit” options during this course.
You can miss two classes (starting on the first day of class)—any additional missed classes will lower your final grade by 1/3 of a letter. For example, if you were earning an A and missed 3 classes, your final grade would become an A-. If you were earning an A and missed four classes, your final grade would become a B+, and so forth. If you need to miss class for a religious observation / holiday, please let me know A WEEK IN ADVANCE of your absence.
Paperwork: You will receive a lot of paper in this course, such as hand-outs, student poems, and critiques from your peers. Be prepared to get organized! Consider purchasing a file folder or binder. Do not discard any of your work during the quarter. To save you a few bucks I choose to use handouts instead of a course packet, which equals lots of miscellaneous paper.
Christina Ablaza: Christina Ablaza is the office coordinator for the Creative Writing Department. Christina knows everything about everything—course lottery, courses offered, departmental prizes and contests, the Levinthal Tutorial, readings and book signings…the list goes on. Christina's office number is 650-723-0011. Get to know Christina--she's a go-to resource.
Disability Support: Students who have a disability that may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services must initiate the request with the Disability Resource Center (DRC). The DRC is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk; 723-1066.
Academic Integrity: For questions regarding proper classroom and student conduct, please refer to the Stanford Student Honor Code.
Emergency Numbers: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): 650-723-3785; The Bridge Peer Counseling: 650-723-3392
Finally—I will do everything in my power to make this an enjoyable and valuable learning experience for you. I’ll do all I can to make this your favorite class!
______________________________
COURSE SCHEDULE
Course Schedule, ENG 92, Spring 2010
----------
M-March 29:
What we’ll do: introductions, syllabus, image list assignment (50 objects that are important to you; 20 memories you associate with those objects; 20 sensory details you associate with those memories and objects. Please type this and bring it to class for Wednesday).
W-April 31:
What’s due: image list: 50 objects that are important to you; 20 memories you associate with those objects; 20 sensory details you associate with those memories and objects (typed).
What's due: The Poet's Companion: please read "Writing and Knowing," pages 19-29, and complete 1 of the 7 exercises at the end of this chapter. Turn this is to me (typed).
What we’ll do: elements of craft, Neruda handout, in-class writing, simile assignment.
----------
M-April 5:
What's due: The Poet’s Companion: please read “Simile and Metaphor,” pages 94-103, and complete 1 of the following writing exercise from page 103: #6, #7, or #8. Turn this in to me (typed).
What’s due: please turn in your simile assignment (typed). Simile assignment: This poem should have a title, 10 stanzas, and each stanza should be a simile. There are no right or wrong ways to write this poem, so follow your instincts. Choose a title that interests you, like THE NIGHT, for example:
THE NIGHT
The night is like an interesting simile.
The night is like a buried ghost.
It's like baking bread
in a dream, and the oven
is calling my name.
The night is like an animal eating itself.
The night is as vast as an empire
on the edge of ruin.
And so forth...
What we’ll do: read and discuss simile assignment, elements of craft handout, discussion of Sharon Olds's "I Go Back to May 1937," Philip Levine's "Starlight," and Jack Gilbert's "The Forgotten Dialect of the Heart" (time permitting).
W-April 7:
What we’ll do: talk about the inventory / list as a poetic strategy, handouts (Frank Stanford, Kijima Hajime, Nazim Hikmet, Gunter Eich, Stephan Torre).
----------
M-April 12:
What's due: inventory / list poem assignment.
Your inventory / list poem. This poem should be at least a page. There's no right or wrong way to approach this assignment. Consulting your image list is always a good idea-- these images will more than likely have a narrative and emotional weight to them.
What we'll do: discussion of your poem
W-April 14:
What we'll do: discussion of object poems, discussion of controlling image, handouts (Charles Simic, Vasko Popa, Miguel Hernandez, Larry Levis).
----------
M-April 19:
What's due: object poem / controlling image poem: For this assignment, you should write a 20- to 30-line poem that uses a non-human object as its controlling image. This poem is wide open to interpretation. Think of Vasko Popa's "Little Box" and Miguel Hernandez's "Lullaby"; these poems are vastly different, yet they both use an object (a box and an onion, respectively) to ground the poem and create meaning. Perhaps you'd like to explore the inner life of an object, as we find in Charles Simic's meditative poem "Stone." Or maybe you'd rather write a hybrid of a controlling image poem and an object poem, like Larry Levis's "Some Grass Along a Ditch Bank." The point of this exercise is to use a non-human object to create meaning; and it's also a platform to let your imagination run wild.
What we'll do: discuss the object poems, handout (time permitting)
W-April 21:
What we'll do:discussion of the sestina, sestina handouts (B.H. Fairchild and Elizabeth Bishop), sestina assignment.
----------
M-April 26:
What's due: Poet's Companion: please read "The Music of the Line," pages 104-114, and complete one of the assignments at the end of the chapter. Turn this in to me (typed).
What's due: your sestina. Remember, here are the 6 words you'll be using in your sestina: 3 objects from your image list, 1 color, 1 abstraction, and 1 word of your choice.
What we'll do: discussion of your sestina, discussion of line breaks.
What we'll do:discussion of the epistolary poem ("Exile's Letter" handout), letter poem assignment.
W-April 28: NO CLASS
----------
M-May 3:
What's due: Epistolary poem (letter poem). Use Li Po's "Exile's Letter" as your example and guide. There are no strict rules for this assignment, other than using a direct address (that is to say, write the poem to somebody). Examine the elements you most admire in "Exile's Letter" and use them in your own poem. Remember, this is just an assignment. Don't try to make this a "perfect" poem--free yourself up to get as much imagery and detail in as possible. This poem can be serious, sarcastic, angry, funny, etc. The important part is that you experiment with the elements of poetic technique that we've discussed in class.
W-May 5:
Group 1 distributes poems to class.
What's due: The Poet's Companion: please read "Images," pages 85-93, and complete 1 of the exercises from page 93. Turn this in to me (typed).
What we'll do: In-class reading and discussion of Paul Celan and Jared Carter.
----------
M-May 10:
Workshop poems from Group 1.
Group 2 distributes poems to class.
W-May 12:
Group 1 turns in revisions to me. (Please staple the original draft of your poem to your revision.)
Please have read and be ready to discuss:
The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body:
"Day of the Refugios", "The Birdman of Nogales", "A Simple Thing to Know", "At the Street Parties for the 16 de Septiembre, Nogales, Mexico, 1962", "Refugio's Hair"
Ocean Avenue:
"Visiting", "We are Here," "Constellations", "Aether", "You Look Outside"
----------
M-May 17:
Workshop Group 2.
Group 1 distributes poems to class.
W-May 19:
Group 2 turns in revisions to me. (Please staple the original draft of your poem to your revision.)
Please have read and be ready to discuss:
Ocean Avenue:
"For F.M Who Did Not Get Killed Yesterday on 57th Street", "On 7th Avenue South", "Among Pillars of Dust", "The Dark Drinks the Insides of Mirrors"
The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body:
"Small Risings", "French Postales", "The Venus Trombones"
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M-May 24:
Workshop Group 1.
W-May 26:
Group 1 turns in revisions to me. (Please staple the original draft of your poem to your revision.)
Group 2 distributes poems to class
Please have read and be ready to discuss:
Ocean Avenue:
"How Wondrous Strange It Was at That Moment to Be in the Flesh", "Standing on the Earth Among the Cows", "In This World", "Air"
The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body:
"The Cities Inside Us", "Oranges in a Tree", "The Gathering Evening", "Gray Dogs", "My Coyote"
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M-May 31:
NO CLASS , MEMORIAL DAY
W-June 2:
Workshop Group 2.
Group 2 turns in revisions with portfolio. (Please staple the original draft of your poem to your revision.)
Please have read and be ready to discuss: Ocean Avenue:
"In the Moon of Making Fat," "After Ritsos"
The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body:
"Rabbits and Fire," "The Dog Inside Mine," "The Lemon Kind of Baseball," "Domingo Limon"
What's due: Short Book Review: 500-750 words. This is not a scholarly research paper, but a venue for you to employ your expanding poetic vocabulary and knowledge. This paper can be quite informal, yet the usual English Department standards will be applied to its grade (spelling, grammar, usage, etc.). You can write about any of the books we've read for this class (The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body, Ocean Avenue). If you'd like to write on a book we haven't covered in class, feel free to choose from one of the following: Dirt by Jo McDougall, Her Slender Dress by Susan Yuzna, Magic City by Yusef Komunyakaa, Lunch Poems by Frank O'Hara, Letters to a Stranger by Thomas James, The Gold Cell by Sharon Olds, The Singing Knives by Frank Stanford, All-American Poem by Matthew Dickman, Awake by Dorianne Laux, Atlantis by Mark Doty, One for the Rose by Philip Levine, or Dream of a Common Language by Adrienne Rich.
Last Day of Class! Last chance for recitations and presentations of creative projects!
What we'll do: Odds and ends...
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Friday-June 4th: NO CLASS
Portfolios due! Don't forget to include your self evaluation in your portfolio (250-500 words, typed). This short, informal paper will give you a venue to articulate a few of your thoughts and feelings about poetry. Did a particular poet or poem open a door for you this quarter? Do you feel that you’ve improved as a poet? If you view yourself as primarily a fiction or nonfiction writer, how has reading and writing poetry shaped you as a literary artist? There are no wrong approaches to this short paper—only you can evaluate yourself.
WHAT GOES IN THE PORTFOLIO?
--all of your assignments (no need to turn in new, clean copies)
--all of your first drafts (two poems)
--all of your revisions (two poems)
--your short book review
--your self evaluation
HOW DO I FORMAT MY PORTFOLIO?
--Please don't use a folder or binder. A simple staple or binder clip will do.
Please drop your final portfolios off at my office (Margaret Jacks Hall, room 211) any time before 3:00 pm. Have a great Break!!!
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