Directed Writing: Poetry-The Aesthetics of Influence

Directed Writing: Poetry-The Aesthetics of Influence

English 109a

Spring 2014

Wednesdays, 2-4:50 pm, Rabb 119

Instructor: Elizabeth Bradfield

Office: Rabb 206, 781-736-2145

Cell: 206-450-9137 (no texts!)

Office hours: Wednesdays, 11 – 1
& by appointment

In this poetry workshop we will develop the tools—sound, imagery, rhythm, use of the line and stanza—that help our poems become vivid in the mind’s eye of the reader.

To do this, we will read widely and experiment with many different styles. Our goal is to write and read and, through that, discover what fires us as writers.

We will play, revise, work, read, and listen.

This semester, we will focus on how contemporary poets have been influenced by those who have come before them: James Arthur by WH Auden, for example.

Each class will be divided into time for writing, discussion of the week’s readings, and workshopping. We will not be able to workshop everyone’s poems every week, but we will develop a rotation schedule so that all have equal opportunity.

Goals

·  You will experiment and take risks

·  You will invent and discover forms/styles to sing with confidence

·  You will critique your own work and the work of others with honesty, openness,
focus, and compassion, providing constructive feedback in the workshop forum

·  You will contribute actively and thoughtfully in class discussions

·  You will gain an understanding and appreciation for different styles and subjects of poems through a wide range of readings

·  You will learn to read as writers

·  You will develop your ability to articulate why a poem might move you (or not)

·  You will interact with poems and the world of poetry (poets, presses, journals)

Requirements

All of the requirements below work toward fostering a deep engagement with poetry: from reading and responding to others’ poems; to engaging with literary criticism; to playing, refining, and developing your own poems.

Attendance:

You must come prepared for every class. You must read all assigned writing. You must turn in written assignments when due. You must bring the books we’re discussing that week to class.

This class is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis. Since we meet only once a week, attendance is crucial: more than one absence will result in a NC grade. If you must unavoidably be absent, email me in advance.

Participation:

The success of this class is dependent on your participation. We will be doing most of our work in class out loud. Be on time, as a sign of respect for both yourself and your classmates. You must participate in and contribute to all discussions and workshops.

Writing:

You will turn in a new poem every week (with some exceptions). You will turn in revisions of work. There are prose requirements, too (see below).

Reading:

Expect to read one book of poetry per week. In addition, you will sometimes be given other readings distributed via LATTE or as handouts. You should “read as a writer”—pay close attention to what you’re reading and be alert to moments that surprise you. Use them to learn. Ask yourself How did the writer do that? We will discuss each week’s readings in class. Be prepared.

Required Books (weekly reading assignments & other handouts will be given in class): Note: these are listed in order of our reading.

1.  Poetry: A Pocket Anthology, R.S. Gwynn

2.  Charms Against Lightning, James Arthur

3.  Headwaters, Ellen Bryant Voigt

4.  Riding Westward, Carl Phillips

5.  The Common Man, Maurice Manning

6.  Midnight Salvage: Poems 1995-1998, Adrienne Rich

7.  When My Brother Was an Aztec, Natalie Diaz

8.  Hip Logic, Terrance Hayes

9.  Money Shot, Rae Armantrout

All books will be on reserve at the library. If you read books on reserve, expect to copy some pages/poems for discussion in class. IF you plan ahead, these can be found fairly cheaply at www.abebooks.com. Sometimes, however, the shipping from abebooks can take a few weeks.

Recommended Books (good to have in your poetry library for years to come):

·  Addonizio, Kim. Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within. New York: WW Norton, 2009.

·  Dacey, Philip and David Jauss. Strong Measures: Contemporary American Poetry in Traditional Forms. New York: Harper & Row, 1986.

·  Hoagland, Tony. Real Sofistikashun: Essays on Poetry and Craft. Minneapolis: Graywolf, 2006.

·  Pinsky, Robert. The Sounds of Poetry: A Brief Guide. New York: FS&G, 1998.

·  any rhyming dictionary (I’m going to assume you have a dictionary and thesaurus at your beck and call)

WEEKLY REQUIREMENTS

(more details will be given in class)

·  An original poem inspired by the writer(s) you are currently reading. This to be broadly interpreted: the reading can spark a memory, a response, an idea, an image, a way of making sentences, a sound pattern, etc. Some weeks, the assignment will be specific.

·  A prose response to a question about prosody, process, or the like posed by the instructor. This is an opportunity for you to think a bit more formally about the poems you’re reading and the art of poetry.

·  Entries in your anthology, in which you type out poems you discover in our readings that inspire, mystify, or otherwise capture you. Look to the introduction of Pinsky’s Singing School for more detail.

·  Written critiques of two of your classmates’ poems.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

(more details will be given in class)

·  Attendance of and a written response to a live public poetry event—whether “slam” or formal. Hearing literature in person, in the writer’s voice, is a powerful and important part of a writing life.

·  A resource to share with the class from your own investigations—a literary journal you like, a website that’s helpful to you as a writer, etc.

·  An overview of a press (like Copper Canyon) or a journal (like Ecotone)—this will help you begin to put together (or deepen) your picture of the publishing landscape and the dialogue in contemporary poetry.

·  A mini-anthology of poems read through the term that sing deeply for you.

·  A final portfolio, which will hold all of your writing from the semester, including revisions.

Please keep, and bring to every class, copies of everything you present or work on, as we will use them throughout the semester. Bring the books you are reading with you.

OTHER NOTES:

·  Please turn off mobile phones during class.

·  If you use a laptop, do so appropriately: to read an electronic version of a book, to take notes, etc.

·  When you’re in class, BE IN CLASS. Not on your email, not planning dinner, not in the slight pain in your right toe. Even if you are not speaking, attend.

·  If you must unavoidably be absent, please email me in advance. In the event of an absence, contact a classmate to catch up on class activities and assignments.

·  If you have a documented disability, please let me know.

·  Our last class will feature a short reading by each of you.

Schedule: Highly subject to change! Most weeks, there will be a pdf on some aspect of prosody as well.

All assignments are due at the beginning of class, printed and properly formatted.

Week / Readings/Assignments (subject to change)
Week 1:
Jan 15 / Introductions and more…
Week 2:
Jan 22 / “The Clerk’s Tale” by Spencer Reece & Chaucer (pdf)
Introduction to The Signing School (pdf)
Week 3:
Jan 29
(last day to add classes: Jan 27) / Charms Against Lightning by James Arthur
Intro:
Resource:
Week 4:
Feb. 5 / Selections from Gwynn
Week 5:
Feb. 12
Note: No class Feb 19 / Headwaters by Ellen Bryant Voigt
Intro:
Resource:
Week 6:
Feb 26
* guest instructor / Selections from Gwynn
Week 7:
March 5 / Riding Westward by Carl Phillips
Intro:
Resource:
Week 8:
March 12 / Journal Presentations
The Common Man by Maurice Manning
Intro:
Resource:
Week 9:
March 19 / Midnight Salvage by Adrienne Rich
Intro:
Resource:
Week 10:
March 26 / Selections from Gwynn
Press Presentations
Week 11:
April 2 / When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz
Intro:
Resource:
Week 12:
April 9
Note: No class April 16 / Hip Logic by Terrance Hayes
Intro:
Resource:
Deadline for having attended and written up your experience of a “live event”
Week 13:
April 23 / Money Shot by Rae Armantrout
Intro:
Resource
Final portfolios due
Date TBD in class / All-class reading

DATES OF NOTE (READINGS ETC):

Blacksmith House Series: Each Monday in Harvard Square, a reading.

April 23: Reading by Olga Broumas, Elizabeth Bradfield, Stephen McCauley – 5pm, place TBA
A Note on “Questionable Content” in Creative Writing

My promise is to never expose you to explicitly sexual or explicitly violent material. By that I mean material which has no value beyond its explicit content. We will, however, encounter material that is sexual in content and material that is violent in content. Sexual or violent content may indeed still fit within the boundaries of literature, as may bigoted slurs and other content considered offensive.

For example, both T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, at one point, supported Hitler’s government. This does not decrease the value of the poems of T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound as historical and artistic markers, nor does it depreciate their ability to capture the human condition in other subjects. To the contrary, we must reckon with the values of our predecessors.

Your half of the promise is that you come into my classroom with an open heart, no matter how much the poems we are discussing might challenge you, and to make sure that writing you bring to class earns the right to push boundaries for reasons beyond mere shock value.

We are not here to bolster our current values, or be affirmed in our life choices. We are here to learn, which is often a terrifying and life-changing experience. If you should find a particular piece offensive, let me know. We will discuss your discomfort and possibly establish a substitute assignment for you.

Spring 2014, p. 1 of 1
Updated 2/26/14