Week 1
Monday, June 16: Second session
begins. Introductions. Discuss
basic terminology and some warm up poems. Assignment: start working on your
first poem and read Always Danger by David Hernandez. Choose one
of the poetry prompts off the blog; on your own, work on your first poem.
Tuesday, June 17: Copies of first poem due at the start of class! On your own, read through all the poems and
make some comments. Finish discussing the
warm up poems, if necessary. Watch some
videos of poetry readings.
Wednesday, June 18: Workshop Poem #1. On your own, choose another prompt
and complete Poem #2. Not trying to be self-promoting and douchey but I suggest reading a couple book reviews here and here if you want to see an alternate way to do this assignment (and maybe get published).
Thursday, June 19: Journal #1 due, over Always Danger. Discuss the book. Copies of Poem #2 due. Start workshop, time permitting.
Friday, June 20: Workshop Poem #2.
On your own, read Folly by
Norman Minnick.
Week 2
Monday, June 23: Summer Semester Course
Withdrawal Ends. Journal #2 due, over Folly. Discuss the book. Discuss scansion (which will be crucial for your
midterm). On your own, work on Poem #3
(an imitation of the style of any of the assigned poems we have read).
Tuesday, June 24: Copies of Poem #3 due in class. Start workshop. On your own, read What the Living Do by Marie Howe and work on Poem #4 (your choice
of style and topic).
Wednesday, June 25: Discuss the midterm assignment--to perform scansion on two of your own poems, then write a two page double-spaced reflective journal on your style, aesthetic, goals, strengths and weaknesses, etc. Also, we'll discuss the two lessons off
the blog (“forms and spacing in poetry” and “more on scansion”). Distribute copies of Poem #4.
Thursday, June 26: Workshop Poem #4.
Friday, June 27: In-class invention exercise that can take the place of Poem #5. For those who are interested, here's a crash course on publishing.
Week 3
Monday, June 30: NO CLASS! I have to be out of town for a wedding so sleep in and be merry.
Tuesday, July 1: NO CLASS! Instead, perform the observation exercise off the blog. On your own, work on Poem #5 (which can be the observation or invention exercise, which you're also free to use later, but must at least include in the portfolio).
Wednesday, July 2: Journal #3 due, over What the Living Do. Discuss the book. Distribute copies of Poem #5. This time, we'll try small groups so you only need to bring FOUR copies! Start workshop. On your own, read About the Dead by Travis Mossotti.
Discuss the presentations. Sign up for conferences.
Thursday, July 3: Conferences instead of class.
Friday, July 4: No class
Week 4
Monday, July 7: Conferences instead of class. In the meantime, here's a cool poem you should read, "Soldiering" by Daniel Langton (which I mentioned in class a couple times).
Tuesday, July 8: Journal #4 due, over About the Dead. Discuss the book. “Eastern” poetry lesson. On your own, work on Poem
#6 (a page of “eastern” poems).
Wednesday, July 9: Copies of Poem #6 (the “eastern” poems) due in class. Start workshop. On your own, work on Poem #7 (your choice).
Thursday, July 10: Distribute copies of Poem #7. Workshop. Sign up for presentations.
Friday, July 11: In-class revision exercise
in which you take one of your own pieces and write it backwards (last line
first, second to last line second, etc) but edit it so that it makes sense. On your own own, work on Poem #8 (your choice). Midterm due. Extra credit opportunity: watch Howl and answer these questions in a journal.
Week 5
Monday, July 14: Distribute copies of Poem #8. Workshop. On your
own, work on Journal #5.
Tuesday, July 15: Journal #5 (your final journal) due over The Book of Men. Discuss the book. Revision workshop; bring copies of a poem that you have revised. Time permitting, in class, we'll take a look at some of the worst poems I could find and discuss how to fix them.
Wednesday, July 16: Revision workshop; bring copies of another poem you have revised.
Thursday,
July 17: Presentations!
Friday, July 18: PORTFOLIOS DUE! Portfolios should contain rough drafts of all eight poems, your observation and sound invention exercises (particularly if you didn't turn those into one of your workshop poems), and revisions of ALL EIGHT POEMS! At least THREE should be major revisions (marked "Major Revision"). Please mark the rest as "Minor Revision." Note: if you have multiple revisions of the same poem, mark them "Revision 1, Revision 2" etc, to show all the work you did.
Sound Invention Exercise
Here's an invention exercise that I typically use with my Advanced Poetry students. It's just meant to get the creative, subconscious wheels turning but I'm curious to see what you come up with!
We’ve talked before about how a good poem (much like a Zen koan) can seem to pull you in two different logical and psychological directions at the same time. That’s part of the magic and, eventually, you want to be doing it while basically writing on auto-pilot. Initially, though, it often takes some conscious, concerted effort to get a feel for the rhythms and music that exist in all artistic language but seem to be heightened in poetry.
1) So for practice, begin by listing some 1 or 2 syllable words you like, then come up with words that have the same beginning and ending sounds in the reverse order. Examples: cedar and repose. Rabbit and temper. Fort and tariff. Risk and killdeer. Russet and tier. Donkey and yield. Feel and leaf. Fumble and bluff.
2) Come up with a few words that have the same internal sounds but different connotations. Examples: gloom and boon. Glow and drone. Bastard and happy. Jewel and coup. Rigor and cigarette.
3) List a few nouns and join them with seemingly unrelated adjectives. Examples: naked sunrise, screaming whisper, cellophane skyscraper, paper temple, lonesome anthill, purple stoplight, raspberry wrath, plexiglas salvation, disjointed symphony, prehistoric tuxedo, oscillating freeze.
4) Now, take something from #3 and turn it into a simile describing a seemingly unrelated noun. Examples: the setting sun blinked like a purple stoplight, she was lonesome as an anthill, typewriters rang like a disjointed symphony, he wore the earth like a prehistoric tuxedo.
5) Come up with some two syllable words that have both syllables stressed. These words add extra punch to your sentence. Examples: Riptide, whirlwind, whitewash, spendthrift, whiplash, toothpaste, snowmelt, ragtag, cupcake, laptop, stonewall, slapdash.
6) Come up with an elevated, sophisticated image or phrase (or even a bit of scientific terminology). Sandwich that next to something more guttural, pedestrian, etc. Another way to think about this: follow a pretentious statement (distinguished not just by overly elevated images or concepts but lots of unstressed syllables) with something blunt and plain-spoken.
7) Now, try weaving these together. With your words for #1, don’t just put them side by side. Put them a few words or even a whole line apart. This creates a subconscious feeling that your lines are connected by an internal rhythm. Don’t worry about literal meaning yet; you’re just trying to clear up your creative lens and hammer out some lines that have a sense of rhythm, music, and raw imagination.
Presentations: Please indicate who/what you're presenting on.
Name/Topic
Steph the Pifer - Bob Hicok
Presentations: Please indicate who/what you're presenting on.
Name/Topic
Steph the Pifer - Bob Hicok