English 143B

Other Readings and Media

Swensen, C. & St. John, D. (eds): American Hybrid: A Norton Anthology of New Poetry

Description

In this advanced poetry workshop, we will not only deepen our own writing practices, but also become increasingly familiar with the wide range of poetry-making materials and strategies. To this end, we will treat this course both as a workshop, where we discuss one another’s poems, and as a studio, where we engage in exercises, improvisations, and collaborations. Readings in poetry and poetics, as well as frequent outings to poetry-related events, will both inform and inspire our writing, but we will not rely upon tradition to define poetry’s possibilities. Instead, in questioning typical genre distinctions, we will hopefully come to a flexible and nuanced set of answers to the controversial question, What is poetry?

You are expected to fully engage assigned readings, to write a poem each week, and to provide your classmates with thoughtful written comments on their work. You will also be asked to memorize and recite a poem; to attend and report on five readings; and to write two book reviews. The course will culminate in your best effort to communicate your evolving poetic project in two separate, but intertwined, forms. You will edit, design, and produce a chapbook of your poems; and you will pair with one of your classmates for an interview that makes explicit your implicit poetic project.

To be considered for admission in this course, please submit 5 photocopied pages of your poetry, along with an application form, to Professor Fisher's mailbox in 322 Wheeler BY 4:00 P.M., TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, AT THE LATEST.

Be sure to read the paragraph concerning creative writing courses on page 1 of this Announcement of Classes for further information regarding enrollment in such courses!