University of Southern California



English 304/section 32660, Spring 2011

Introduction to Poetry Writing/Workshop for Non-Majors

Instructor: Cecilia Woloch (woloch@usc.edu)

Wednesdays, 4:30 – 6:50 p.m.; THH 105

Course Objectives:

In this workshop course for non-majors, students will read and discuss a wide range of modern and contemporary poetry, from spoken-word to neo-formalist texts, and will draw inspiration from those models to generate their own creative work. Writing exercises will utilize free verse, traditional, non-traditional and invented forms. Students will be encouraged to experiment with different styles and subject matter, and to incorporate elements of their other interests as well as their own life experience and perceptions into the poems they write. The main focus of class meetings will be on presenting and critiquing students’ poems, so class discussions are expected to be lively, constructive and supportive of creative risk-taking. All students are expected to participate and offer feedback on one another’s poems. There will be no final exam; instead, each student will submit a final portfolio of poems written and revised over the course of the semester.

Required Texts:

THE DISCOVERY OF POETRY, by Frances Mayes

HIP LOGIC, by Terrance Hayes

Jan. 12: Class introductions; discussion of syllabus

In-Class Writing Exercise: “Making the Invisible Visible;”

Discuss concrete vs abstract language; use of anaphora; catalogue as form

Reading Assignment: Read from Mayes text, "Invitation” (foreword) and Chapter 1, "Sources and Approaches," plus poems (to page 24); handouts of poems by Brainard, Coleman, Klein Healy and Hayes.

Writing Assignment: Catalogue poem; bring copies to class

Jan. 19: Discuss reading assignment; workshop catalogue poems (1st half)

Assignment: Read handout of poems by Natasha Trethewey and attend reading on Jan. 20; read and make comments on 2nd half of catalogue poems; bring two typed copies of your comments on each poem (on separate pages) to next class

Jan. 20: Natasha Trethewey reading 4:30 p.m., Doheny Library (sign in)

Jan. 26: Discuss Trethewey reading; workshop 2nd half of catalogue poems

In-class exercise: Wordplay/”The Secret Game of Poetry;”

Reading Assignment: HIP LOGIC to page 36

Writing Assignment: “Gram of &’s” poem; bring copies to next class

Feb. 2: Discuss reading assignment; workshop “Gram of &’s” poems (all); read aloud and discuss Rosetti’s “Birthday,” Burns’ “My Luv Is Like ...” & Breton’s “Free Union”

In-Class Writing Exercise: Simile, Metaphor, Repetition

Reading Assignment: Mayes, Chapter 2, “Texture and Sound,” to pg. 50

Writing Assignment: Blazon/Anti-Blazon

Feb. 9: Discuss reading assignment; workshop blazons (first half); read aloud Merwin’s “Gift” and “On the Anniversary of my Death”

Reading Assignment: Merwin handout; second half of blazons.

Writing Assignment: Make written comments on your classmates’ poems and bring two typed copies of your comments on each poem (on separate pages) to class 2/23.

Feb. 16: Attend reading by W.S. Merwin (sign in)

Feb. 23: Discuss Merwin reading; workshop remaining blazons.

Read aloud and discuss Smith’s “The Undertaker,” Lovelace’s “Gimme Sum,” Coleman’s, “Wanda, Why Ain’t You Dead?,” Sanchez’s “Carl”

In-class writing exercise: “Why I Am Not ...”

Reading Assignment: Mayes, Chapter 4, “The Speaker: The Eye of the Poem;” handouts by Hayes, et al

Writing Assignment: Persona Poem/Dramatic Monologue

Mar. 2: Discuss reading assignment; workshop persona poems (first half)

Assignment: read and make comments on 2nd half of persona poems; bring two typed copies of your comments on each poem (on separate pages) to the next class; read Mayes, Chapter 6: “Meter;” handouts by Nelson, Hacker, Williams, Trethewey, et al.

Mar. 9: Workshop persona poems (second half)

Lecture and discussion on meter; evolution of accentual/syllabic system of verse-making, traditional and “received” forms.

In-class exercise: iambic pentameter; collaborative sonnet

Reading Assignment: Mayes Chapter 8, "Traditional and Open Forms;" also handouts on the pantoum, the villanelle and the sestina; handout, poems by Paul Muldoon

Writing Assignment: formal poem (chose one of the above forms). Bring copies to Muldoon reading 3/23

SPRING BREAK

Mar. 23: Attend reading by Paul Muldoon; sign in and bring copies of formal poems to distribute

Assignment: Read and make comments on formal poems; bring two typed copies of your comments on each poem to the class 3/30

Mar. 30: Workshop formal poems (first half)

Reading Assignment: Mayes, Chapter 7: “Free Verse;” handouts by Whitman (from “Song of Myself”) and Ginsberg Impt: Bring copies of “Howl” to next week’s class!

April 6: Workshop second half of formal poems. Read “Howl” aloud as a class.

Reading Assignment: handouts (Ginsberg's "America;"” Kearney's "Creed;" Christina Lovin's "I Believe")

Writing Assignment: Manifesto/Rant

Apr. 13: Workshop manifesto/rant poems (first half)

Reading Assignment: second half of Catalogue/Rant poems and make written comments; finish HIP LOGIC

Apr. 20: Workshop second half of catalogue/rant poems; discuss HIP LOGIC; lecture/discussion of revision strategies.

Assignment: Prepare final portfolio

Apr. 27: Final class meeting: turn in final portfolios; class party/poetry reading

CLASS POLICIES:

Please be on time for class and keep up with the reading assignments, which have been designed to guide you in the writing assignments.

Please bring both texts with you to every class meeting, along with all copies of hand-outs — especially the poems for that week’s workshop.

You are responsible for bringing typed copies of your poems for everyone in the class on the dates assignments are due. You are expected to offer your classmates constructive criticism on their work, both in class discussions and by way of written comments.

Each week that a new writing assignment is due, we will distribute copies of your poems and workshop approximately half of them. The other half of the poems must be read before the next class meeting, and written comments – approximately one paragraph, 150 – 250 words – should be prepared and brought to class. Your comments should be typed —comments for each poem on a separate page — and should include your name and the name of the poem under discussion as well as its author. Bring two copies of your comments on each poem to the next class meeting: one to refer to during the discussion and to give to the author of the poem after the discussion; the other to be handed in to me. Your comments should provide evidence that you’ve read your classmates’ work carefully, and that you’ve read and understood the assigned readings on craft.

Absences: Because this class is a workshop, attendance and participation will be an important compenent of final grades. More than one absence will lower your grade. If you are absent when poems are handed out, it is your responsibility to obtain copies of the poems for discussion before the next class meeting, and to have prepared written comments on those poems.

You are required to turn in a portfolio of your work at the end of the semester, including all assigned poems and poems written in class, substantive revisions of at least two of your poems (revisions attached to original and clearly marked),as well as a sample of the comments you made on your classmates’ poems. Final portfolios MUST be submitted by the last class meeting; you also have the option of submitting an electronic version of your portfolio, in lieu of a hard copy, via e-mail, no later than noon on April 27.

Final Grades: Attendance and participation in discussions: 30%

On-time submission of writing assignments and comments: 35%

Final portfolio: 35%

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