ENG 580: Poetry Writing
Tentative Schedule
Semester Overview
NOTE: Readings are to be completed by classtime TUESDAY.
Generally, we will discuss the readings on Tuesday, and on Thursday write and discuss our writings.
WEEK ONE: Jan 21
Introductions
Al
Filreis's poetic terms
GLOSSARY OF POETIC TERMS
Another
Glossary
Rhetorical
Devices in Sound (great resource for figures of speech)
WEEK TWO: Jan 26, 28
Read: Annie Finch & Kathrine Varnes, An Exaltation of Forms: "Acknowledgments"; "Introduction" (pages 1-11); "Accentual Verse," Dana Gioia (pages 15-23); "Syllabics," Margaret Holley (pages 24-31); "Counted Verse," Paul Hoover (pages 32-38); "Iambic Meter," John Ridland (pages 39-45); "Blank Verse," Anthony Hecht (page 46-51).
Read: John Hollander, Rhyme's Reason: pages ix-xii; 1-22.
WEEK THREE: Feb 2, 4
Various and Sundry
Required readings:
John Ciardi, "An Act of Language" (Blackboard)
Aldon Nielsen, "Oulipian Poetry" An Exaltation of Forms (page 385-90)
Jena Osman, "Procedural Poetry: The Intentions of Nonintention" An Exaltation of Forms (page 366-78)(online) Charles Bernstein, "Experiments"
(online) Charles Bernstein, "The Difficult Poem"
(online) Bernadette Mayer's "82 Writing Experiments"
Consider the poetic sensibility each of these pieces implies. How do the poetics implied or directly stated differ from piece to piece? How do they resonate with your own poetics? How do they depart from yours? In what ways do they challenge and/or support your own views on poetry and writing?
Also, an ongoing assignment: read through the latest entries at Ron Silliman's Blog
Find out more about Mr. Silliman here & here & here & here.
!!!AND GET YE TO MY LINKS PAGE!!! If you're a student in my class, you should spend some nights surfing around the various sites I've linked to there. Listen to PENNSound & Close Listening, explore UBUWEB, read through the sites on my Theory Links...
WEEK FOUR: Feb 9, 11
Found: A Poem, Uncreative
Required readings:
Keith Tuma, "Beyond Found Poetry" An Exaltation of Forms (page 352-358)
David Lehman, "The List Poem" An Exaltation of Forms (page 359-365)(online) Kenneth Goldsmith, " Uncreativity as Creative Practice"
(online) Anne Henochowicz, "Petty Theft: Kenny G Give's A's for Unoriginality"
A film by Simon Morris: Kenneth Goldsmith: Sucking Words (59 min.)
Ongoing assignment: read through the latest entries at Ron Silliman's Blog
WEEK FIVE: Feb 16, 18
East Meets West: From Holland[er] to Japan
Required readings:
John Hollander, Rhymes Reason (pages 23-70) [Feel free to flip through the appendix and the "Patterns in Practice" sections too]
Annie Finch, "Dactylic Meter: A Many Sounding Sea" An Exaltation of Forms (page 66-72)
Agha Shahid Ali, "Ghazal: To Be Teased into DisUnity" An Exaltation of Forms (page 210-16)
Jean Hyung Yul Chu, "Haiku" An Exaltation of Forms (page 217-22)
William J. Higginson & Penny Harter, "Japanese-Style Linked Poems"An Exaltation of Forms (page 228-37)Ongoing assignment: read through the latest entries at Ron Silliman's Blog
WEEK SIX: Feb 23, 25
Visual Poetry! Abecedarian Poetry!
Required readings:
Joseph Thomas, "Letters to Children." Children's Literature Association Quarterly 30.1 (2005): 74-87. (Blackboard)
Thomas, "A Defence of Visual Poetry" Chapter FIVE of Poetry's Playground: The Culture of Contemporary American Children's Poetry. (Wayne State University Press: Landscapes of Childhood Series, 2007) (Blackboard)
Jan Hodge, "Taking Shape: The Art of Carmina Figurata" An Exaltation of Forms (page 198)
Neil Powell, "Concrete Poetry and Conceptual Art: A Spectre at the Feast?"
A Short Note on Abecedarian PoetryA list of "formally perfect literature works"--Alphabetical Africa is listed first
Ongoing assignment: read through the latest entries at Ron Silliman's Blog
WEEK SEVEN: Mar 2, 4
Back to Basics: Stanzas, Stanzas, Stanzas!
Required readings:
Thimothy Steele, "'The Bravest Sort of Verses': The Heroic Couplet," An Exaltation of Forms (pages 107-115)
brlix Stefanile, "The Self-Engendering Muse: Terza Rima" An Exaltation of Forms (pages 11-6-121)
John Hollander, "The Quatrain" An Exaltation of Forms (pages 122-131)
Jacqueline Osherow , "Ottava Rima " An Exaltation of Forms (pages 141-147)
Pat Mora, "The Decima: A Poetic Journey from Spain to New Mexico" An Exaltation of Forms (pages 156-166)
Ongoing assignment: read through the latest entries at Ron Silliman's Blog
WEEK EIGHT: Mar 9, 11
Sound Poetry, Performance Poetry, and Other Noise
Required readings:
Steve McCaffery, "Sound Poetry - A Survey"
Charles Bernstein, "1-100"
Bob Holman, "Performance Poetry " An Exaltation of Forms (pages 341-351)
Tracie Morris, "Hip-Hop Rhyme Formations: Open Your Ears" An Exaltation of Forms (pages 223-227)
Search around Wikipedia and follow their external links to explore the subject of Sound Poetry and Performance Poetry online. And don't forget about Ubu!In-class: Poetry in Motion (film)
Ongoing assignment: read through the latest entries at Ron Silliman's Blog
MARCH 9: LAST DAY TO SUBMIT FIRST FORMAL POEM!
WEEK NINE: Mar 16, 18
Tues: Bring to class your Performance Poem, ready to perform and talk about
Thurs: More on poetry and performance
WEEK TEN: Mar 23, 25
Tuesday (March 23): Discuss constraint-based poetry, with examples.
Read this blog post: Incessu patuit: revealing the gesture
And poke around the other posts on The Writhing Society blog.
Thursday (March 25): Furlough Day
WEEK ELEVEN:
No Class: Spring Break!
WEEK TWELVE: Apr 6, 8
Poetry Writing Discussion
WEEK THIRTEEN: Apr 13, 15
Read, Excercises In Style for class !!
WEEK FOURTEEN: Apr 20, 21
WEEK FIFTEEN: Apr 27, 29
APRIL 27: LAST DAY TO SUBMIT SECOND FORMAL POEM!!
WEEK SIXTEEN: May 4, 6
WEEK SEVENTEEN: May 11, 13
WEEK EIGHTEEN: Final Exam Week