1) Two Poetry
Texts:
Writing Poems, 4th ed. By Wallace
and Boisseau (Harper Collins, College Publishers, 1996)
The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises from Poets Who Teach,
edited by Behn and Twichell (Harper Perennial,
1992).
2) Exploration of process.
As part of the course, we
will learn to observe.... Such experiential observation begins
with the senses: what we see, hear, taste, smell, touch--with
what makes us feel alive.
3) Weekly assignments. Each
week, participants should bring some poetic response to the topic/issue
at hand and enough copies for the class or small group, depending
on the occasion. Participants will have opportunity to present
poems/in progress to others for constructive
feedback and be ready to give similar
attention and feedback to class members.
4) A collection of polished
pieces. Few great and admired poets regularly jot off a few words,
never to change them again. As with most other artists, poets
struggle "to get the words right." Six or ten lines
of poetry can take as much time to write as several pages of
prose. Therefore, by the end of the term, students will submit
a portfolio of at least five poems that have been honed and revised
during this term.
