WRIT 318

Creative Writing: Poetry

"If you know fifteen words, you can make a poem."

—Robert Bly

NOTE: This is representative of the syllabi for this course. It is not necessarily the syllabus being used in any one semester.

Text

Contemporary American Poetry, Al Poulin and Michael Waters, editors

Course Objectives and Requirements

In a workshop setting, this course will introduce you to a wide range of poems that will serve as models for your own writing. There will be weekly reading and writing assignments. You will work on revisions of your poems throughout the course. You will also choose one poem from the anthology to memorize for class.

Written Component

You will write and complete ten poems and a poetry response paper (3 pages) reflecting on a poem by a contemporary poet, due in the middle of the term. Your final writing portfolio must include revisions of all poems you have written this semester, along with the originals you turned in for workshop. All writing must be new poems you have written this semester. No old work.

Workshop Component

You are required to attend all class meetings, be on time, submit your poems on time, and prepare thoughtful critiques of your classmates' writing. Two or more absences will lower your grade: after two absences your final grade will go down by half (an "A" will become and "A-" and so on), and each absence after that will lower it by half. Lateness counts as half an absence. If you are stuck in traffic or having trouble parking, please let me know. All work must by word-processed. Each week you will bring in enough copies for workshop. Get acquainted with a good copy machine that is available to you, and please donÍt wait until right before class to duplicate your poem. It will only cause you to be late.

Publishing Component

I would like you to attend one poetry reading on or off campus and write a response (1 page or less) reflecting on the experience. At the end of the semester we will celebrate your amazing work with a reading and publication party.

Grades

Your grade will be based on your final portfolio, the quality of your revision, your contributions in class, the poetry response essay, and your memorization.

"Take time by the forelock. Now or never. You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this, or the like of this."

—Henry David Thoreau

Schedule of Assignments

(subject to change)

"Art is, after all, only a trace—like a footprint which shows that one has walked bravely and in great happiness."

—Robert Henri

CLASS 1 INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW

CLASS 2 GIVEN FIRST LINE POEM

Spend about an hour reading through the anthology, noting poems you like, poems you respond to (you don't have to "understand" it in order to have a response), and then close the book. Open it again and choose a line that intrigues you in some way and begin a poem with that line. It can be a first line of a poem in the anthology or any random line—your choice. Write 30 lines. Whenever you run out of steam, write the line again and keep going.

Read:

David Ignatow, "Tread the Dark";

Donald Justice, "Psalm and Lament";

Allen Ginsberg, "Howl";

Yusef Komunyakaa, "Thanks";

Anne Sexton, "The Abortion";

William Stafford "Fifteen"

CLASS 2 IMAGE POEM

Write a poem that concentrates on images. Include as many of the five senses as you can. When you read the following poems in the anthology, choose at least five powerful images, copy them in your journal, and bring your journal to class.

Read:

Elizabeth Bishop, "The Fish";

Robert Bly, "Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter";

James Dickey, "At Darien Bridge";

Alan Dugan, "Lament for Cellists," "Rising in Fall";

Naomi Shihab Nye, "The Small Vases from Hebron," "The Shapes of Mouths at Parties," "The Last Day of August"; Kimiko Hahn, "The Shower";

Robert Hayden, "Those Winter Sundays";

William Heyen, "The Pigeons," "Blackbird Spring";

W. S. Merwin, "Field Mushrooms";

Carl Phillips, "Glads";

Sylvia Plath, "Stillborn";

Charles Simic, "Fork";

William Stafford, "Traveling Through the Dark";

James Wright, "Lying in a Hammock∞"

"This morning I walked into the kitchen and a shaft of light hit the table, it filled the large clay bowl with the four lemons in it. The light from above, the glaze of the earthen bowl reflecting it, and the intense yellow of the lemons radiating it back out. It was like an exquisite prayer. I stood there for a while, folding my own hands in quiet attention."

—Burghild Nina Holzer

CLASS 3 CHILDHOOD POEM

In your journal, write a list of at least 50 I Remembers. You could list an event—"I remember cutting my sisterÍs Barbie hair off"—; or an activity—"I remember hiding my vegetables under my placemat." Then choose one of the more surprising or compelling ones as the subject for your childhood memory poem. Include the five senses. Feel free to begin the poem with "I remember."

Read:

Elizabeth Bishop, "In the Waiting Room";

Lucille Clifton, "i was born with twelve fingers," "at last we killed the roaches";

Rita Dove, "Crab-Boil";

Alan Dugan, "Surviving the Hurricane";

William Heyen, "Witness";

Yusef Komunyakaa, "Boys in Dresses";

Li-Young Lee, "The Gift";

Philip Levine, "I Was Born in Lucerne," "On My Own";

Marilyn Nelson, "MamaÍs Murders," "Boys in the Park," "Minor Miracle";

Sharon Olds, "The Elder Sister," "Good Will";

Gary Soto, "Oranges";

William Stafford, "Fifteen";

Gerald Stern "The Dancing," "The Bull-Roarer" "Another Insane Devotion";

CK Williams, "Blades"; James Wright, "The Old WPA∞";

James Wright, "The Old WPA Swimming Pool∞."

CLASS 4 ADDRESS POEM

Write a poem addressed to someone real or imaginary, historical or familial.

Read:

Marvin Bell, "To an Adolescent";

Lucille Clifton, "at the cemetary," "wishes for sons,"

Stephen Dobyns, "How Could You Ever Be Fine";

Alan Dugan, "Elegy," "To An Ex-Student";

Louise Gluck, "The Mirror";

Michael Harper, "We Assume," "Dear John, Dear Coltrane";

Philip Levine, "You Can Have It";

John Logan, "Poem for my Brother";

W. S. Merwin, "The Rose Beetle," "When You Go Away";

Gary Soto, "The Tale of Sunlight";

Mark Strand, "My Life by Somebody Else"

CLASS 5 FREE CHOICE POEM

Poetry Video

CLASS 6 DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE

Write a poem in the voice of someone other than yourself. In that person's voice recount an event or an emotion. Speak as Michael Jackson looking in the mirror, Humpty Dumpty after the fall, a waitress closing up the restaurant for the night.

Read:

all poems by AI;

Gwendolyn Brooks, "the mother," "a song in the front yard";

Louise Gluck, "The White Rose";

Sylvia Plath, "Lady Lazarus";

3 page Response Essay Due

CLASS 7 FRANK O'HARA Poems

Read all the poems by Frank O'Hara in your anthology. Then write a poem a day in his style. Come to class with 6 poems.

CLASS 8 SCARY POEM

Write a poem that scares you. Or write a poem that takes courage to write.

Read:

Sylvia Plath, "Daddy," "Lady Lazarus";

Anne Sexton, "Man and Wife";

William Matthews, "Pissing off the Back of the Boat";

Marilyn Nelson, "Women's Locker Room";

"In a dark time, the eye begins to see."

—Theodore Roethke

CLASS 9 TRADITIONAL FORM

Write a poem in a traditional form.

Read: Handout

CLASS 10 TRADITIONAL FORM

Read:

Elizabeth Bishop "One Art";

handout

CLASS 11 FREE CHOICE POEM

Read:

Charles Simic "Charles Simic";

Handout

Poetry Video

CLASS 12 PERFORMANCE POEM

Read: handout

ñWhenever I find myself growing vaporish, I rouse myself, wash and put on a clean shirt, brush my hair and clothes, tie my shoestrings neatly, and in fact agonize as if I were going out then, all clean and comfortable, I sit down to write.î

—John Keats

CLASS 13 Revision Strategies

Bring clean copies of three poems you want to revise.

CLASS 14 REVISION POEM

CLASS 15 PORTFOLIOS DUE (all revised poems and their originals)




			WRIT 318 Creative Writing: Poetry "If you know fifteen words, you can make a poem." —Robert Bly NOTE: This is representative of the syllabi for this course. It is not necessarily the syllabus being used in any one semester. Text Contemporary American Poetry, Al Poulin and Michael Waters, editors Course Objectives and Requirements In a workshop setting, this course will introduce you to a wide range of poems that will serve as models for your own writing. There will be weekly reading and writing assignments. You will work on revisions of your poems throughout the course. You will also choose one poem from the anthology to memorize for class. Written Component You will write and complete ten poems and a poetry response paper (3 pages) reflecting on a poem by a contemporary poet, due in the middle of the term. Your final writing portfolio must include revisions of all poems you have written this semester, along with the originals you turned in for workshop. All writing must be new poems you have written this semester. No old work. Workshop Component You are required to attend all class meetings, be on time, submit your poems on time, and prepare thoughtful critiques of your classmates' writing. Two or more absences will lower your grade: after two absences your final grade will go down by half (an "A" will become and "A-" and so on), and each absence after that will lower it by half. Lateness counts as half an absence. If you are stuck in traffic or having trouble parking, please let me know. All work must by word-processed. Each week you will bring in enough copies for workshop. Get acquainted with a good copy machine that is available to you, and please donÍt wait until right before class to duplicate your poem. It will only cause you to be late. Publishing Component I would like you to attend one poetry reading on or off campus and write a response (1 page or less) reflecting on the experience. At the end of the semester we will celebrate your amazing work with a reading and publication party. Grades Your grade will be based on your final portfolio, the quality of your revision, your contributions in class, the poetry response essay, and your memorization. "Take time by the forelock. Now or never. You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this, or the like of this." —Henry David Thoreau Schedule of Assignments (subject to change) "Art is, after all, only a trace—like a footprint which shows that one has walked bravely and in great happiness." —Robert Henri CLASS 1 INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW CLASS 2 GIVEN FIRST LINE POEM Spend about an hour reading through the anthology, noting poems you like, poems you respond to (you don't have to "understand" it in order to have a response), and then close the book. Open it again and choose a line that intrigues you in some way and begin a poem with that line. It can be a first line of a poem in the anthology or any random line—your choice. Write 30 lines. Whenever you run out of steam, write the line again and keep going. Read: David Ignatow, "Tread the Dark"; Donald Justice, "Psalm and Lament"; Allen Ginsberg, "Howl"; Yusef Komunyakaa, "Thanks"; Anne Sexton, "The Abortion"; William Stafford "Fifteen" CLASS 2 IMAGE POEM Write a poem that concentrates on images. Include as many of the five senses as you can. When you read the following poems in the anthology, choose at least five powerful images, copy them in your journal, and bring your journal to class. Read: Elizabeth Bishop, "The Fish"; Robert Bly, "Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter"; James Dickey, "At Darien Bridge"; Alan Dugan, "Lament for Cellists," "Rising in Fall"; Naomi Shihab Nye, "The Small Vases from Hebron," "The Shapes of Mouths at Parties," "The Last Day of August"; Kimiko Hahn, "The Shower"; Robert Hayden, "Those Winter Sundays"; William Heyen, "The Pigeons," "Blackbird Spring"; W. S. Merwin, "Field Mushrooms"; Carl Phillips, "Glads"; Sylvia Plath, "Stillborn"; Charles Simic, "Fork"; William Stafford, "Traveling Through the Dark"; James Wright, "Lying in a Hammock∞" "This morning I walked into the kitchen and a shaft of light hit the table, it filled the large clay bowl with the four lemons in it. The light from above, the glaze of the earthen bowl reflecting it, and the intense yellow of the lemons radiating it back out. It was like an exquisite prayer. I stood there for a while, folding my own hands in quiet attention." —Burghild Nina Holzer CLASS 3 CHILDHOOD POEM In your journal, write a list of at least 50 I Remembers. You could list an event—"I remember cutting my sisterÍs Barbie hair off"—; or an activity—"I remember hiding my vegetables under my placemat." Then choose one of the more surprising or compelling ones as the subject for your childhood memory poem. Include the five senses. Feel free to begin the poem with "I remember." Read: Elizabeth Bishop, "In the Waiting Room"; Lucille Clifton, "i was born with twelve fingers," "at last we killed the roaches"; Rita Dove, "Crab-Boil"; Alan Dugan, "Surviving the Hurricane"; William Heyen, "Witness"; Yusef Komunyakaa, "Boys in Dresses"; Li-Young Lee, "The Gift"; Philip Levine, "I Was Born in Lucerne," "On My Own"; Marilyn Nelson, "MamaÍs Murders," "Boys in the Park," "Minor Miracle"; Sharon Olds, "The Elder Sister," "Good Will"; Gary Soto, "Oranges"; William Stafford, "Fifteen"; Gerald Stern "The Dancing," "The Bull-Roarer" "Another Insane Devotion"; CK Williams, "Blades"; James Wright, "The Old WPA∞"; James Wright, "The Old WPA Swimming Pool∞." CLASS 4 ADDRESS POEM Write a poem addressed to someone real or imaginary, historical or familial. Read: Marvin Bell, "To an Adolescent"; Lucille Clifton, "at the cemetary," "wishes for sons," Stephen Dobyns, "How Could You Ever Be Fine"; Alan Dugan, "Elegy," "To An Ex-Student"; Louise Gluck, "The Mirror"; Michael Harper, "We Assume," "Dear John, Dear Coltrane"; Philip Levine, "You Can Have It"; John Logan, "Poem for my Brother"; W. S. Merwin, "The Rose Beetle," "When You Go Away"; Gary Soto, "The Tale of Sunlight"; Mark Strand, "My Life by Somebody Else" CLASS 5 FREE CHOICE POEM Poetry Video CLASS 6 DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE Write a poem in the voice of someone other than yourself. In that person's voice recount an event or an emotion. Speak as Michael Jackson looking in the mirror, Humpty Dumpty after the fall, a waitress closing up the restaurant for the night. Read: all poems by AI; Gwendolyn Brooks, "the mother," "a song in the front yard"; Louise Gluck, "The White Rose"; Sylvia Plath, "Lady Lazarus"; 3 page Response Essay Due CLASS 7 FRANK O'HARA Poems Read all the poems by Frank O'Hara in your anthology. Then write a poem a day in his style. Come to class with 6 poems. CLASS 8 SCARY POEM Write a poem that scares you. Or write a poem that takes courage to write. Read: Sylvia Plath, "Daddy," "Lady Lazarus"; Anne Sexton, "Man and Wife"; William Matthews, "Pissing off the Back of the Boat"; Marilyn Nelson, "Women's Locker Room"; "In a dark time, the eye begins to see." —Theodore Roethke CLASS 9 TRADITIONAL FORM Write a poem in a traditional form. Read: Handout CLASS 10 TRADITIONAL FORM Read: Elizabeth Bishop "One Art"; handout CLASS 11 FREE CHOICE POEM Read: Charles Simic "Charles Simic"; Handout Poetry Video CLASS 12 PERFORMANCE POEM Read: handout ñWhenever I find myself growing vaporish, I rouse myself, wash and put on a clean shirt, brush my hair and clothes, tie my shoestrings neatly, and in fact agonize as if I were going out then, all clean and comfortable, I sit down to write.î —John Keats CLASS 13 Revision Strategies Bring clean copies of three poems you want to revise. CLASS 14 REVISION POEM CLASS 15 PORTFOLIOS DUE (all revised poems and their originals) home \| bs, corporate communication \| ba, english \| ma, publications design \| mfa, integrated design \| mfa, creative writing & publishing arts \| people \| portfolio \| facilities \| classes \| undergraduate applications \| graduate applications \| contact \| site index \| university of baltimore