Introduction to Creative Writing

Directed Writing: Poetry

English 119-B

Mandel G11; Monday 2:00-4:50

Spring 2016

Instructor: Kirun Kapur

Email:

Cell: 617-794-0995

Office: Rabb 232

Office Hours: Monday 11:30-1:30, Thurs 11:30-1:30 or by appointment

Course Description: The most basic elements of a poem are voice and breath. How can these simple elements surprise, move, illuminate, delight and shake us, as a poem must? In this course, we will take up this question by exploring a wide range of contemporary poetic voices. Using the techniques we discover, we will work toward developing our own powerful, persuasive voices on the page.

The majority of our time will be spent practicing: there will be multiple writing assignments each week. Reading will be a crucial component of our efforts. Writing assignments and discussions of technique will be based in assigned texts.

Both reading and writing assignments will address issues of form, musicality, syntax, imagery, subject matter and tone. We will explore these topics in both poetry and prose. In addition to assigned reading, students must seek out additional books/authors on their own and present them to the class. Discovering authors you love—authors who can guide and inform your own writing—is a crucial, life-long skill for a writer.

A portion of every class period will be devoted to directly engaging each other’s writing. The workshop format requires the constructive, critical attentions of each and every member of the class. We will discuss the ground-rules and work out the logistics of our workshop during the first class. Everyone should expect to read their work aloud, in class, many times during the semester.

For poets, memorization, too, is essential. Nothing helps a writer internalize meter, rhyme and poetic music like memorizing a great poet’s lines. Each student will memorize and recite at least one poem over the course of the semester.

Our goal is to create a rigorous, supportive environment where we can all become better readers and writers. Together we will experiment, fail, try again (and again), discuss, discover and revel in the pleasures and perils of the writing life.

Course Requirements:

Attendance: Because this course meets only once a week and is given on a credit/no credit basis, attendance in crucial. Missing more than one class will result in no credit. If you must miss class for unavoidable reasons, please discuss it with me.

Reading and Writing: Students must complete all weekly writing and reading assignments on time. Written work will be due at the beginning of each class. Students are required to bring the assigned reading with them to class.

Participation: Participation in discussions, workshops and in-class exercises is critical. Please come to class prepared to engage fully with the assignments and with your peers. You will be expected to open class discussion by briefly presenting your ideas and questions about a text or about a classmate’s poem.

Office Hours: At least two visits are required. We will discuss your final portfolio during the second visit.

Assignments:

·  Each student is required to complete weekly reading and writing assignments (both poetry and prose)

·  Final portfolio (including all poems; 5 poems substantially revised; 2 revised prose pieces, which discuss either a particular author or some aspect of craft; and a reflective essay on your own work). More details will be provided in class.

·  3 “literary letters” to a classmate about their work

·  Presentation of an author you’ve discovered

·  Memorized poem

·  Attendance at a literary reading or event, followed by a written report. Details in class.

Readings: The following books are available at the bookstore or from the library. Additional handouts will be provided during the semester.

Brian Turner, Here, Bullet

Louise Glück,The Wild Iris

Natasha Trethewey,Native Guard

Laura Kasischke,The Infinitesimals

Jane Springer,Murder Ballad

Roger Reeves,King Me

Li-Young Lee,The City in Which I Love You

Kim Addonizio & Dorianne Laux,The Poet’s Companion

Notes:

On “Questionable Content” in Creative Writing:

I will never knowingly expose you to explicitly sexual or explicitly violent material. By this I mean material with no value beyond its explicit content. We will, however, encounter material that is sexual, violent or otherwise disturbing. 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. I ask that you come into my classroom with an open mind and a generous heart, no matter how much the poems we are discussing might challenge you, and to make sure that the 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 find a particular piece offensive or disturbing, please let me know.

Disabilities: If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately.

Office Hours: Please come and see me at least twice during the semester. Before creative writing programs existed, writers had mentors. This is still the best way to learn. Come and talk about your reading, writing, dreaming, flailing, striving. I look forward to knowing you and your work. I look forward to seeing you flourish on and off the page.