ENG 311: Poetry Writing

Course Objectives

I hope that you are taking this course because you think it will be incredibly fun. It will be. I also hope that you realize this does not mean it will be an easy course. Learning to write poetry well requires practice, hard work, and intense concentration. In this regard, writing poetry is like learning to play an instrument, becoming excellent at a sport, apprenticing to a trade, or growing a garden: it requires intense, focused work with a community of practitioners. The moment of insight—where the right words fit together to express something profound and beautiful, something you hadn’t even been trying to say—comes only after long hours of fruitless effort. But don’t worry, it’s worth it.

This course, then, is first of all about honing your abilities as a poet. To do this, you will learn to carefully read great contemporary poets, including your fellow classmates. As we read other poets, you’ll learn the landscape of the contemporary poetry scene. You’ll discover who is writing what and how to get published. In the process, you will better understand why poetry has been a vital part of culture in the past and why it still matters today.

Assignments

Texts

  • The Poem’s Heartbeat: A Manual of Prosody, by Alfred Corn. ISBN: 978-1556592812
  • Mercy Spurs the Bone, by Chelsea Wagenaar. ISBN: 978-1934695418
  • Southern Tongues Leave Us Shining, by Mark Wagenaar. ISBN: 978-1597090360
  • Olives, by A. E. Stallings. ISBN: 978-0810152267
  • Pity the Beautiful, by Dana Gioia. ISBN: 978-1555976132

Course Calendar

Course meets MWF 8:55-9:55 in White Library 123. This schedule is subject to change.

Week 1

  • Wednesday 8/28: Introduction
  • Friday 8/30: Wagenaar, C. 1-20; Corn introduction

Week 2

  • Monday 9/2: No Class; Labor Day
  • Wednesday 9/4: Wagenaar, C. 21-42
  • Friday 9/6: Wagenaar, C. 43-63; Corn chapter 1

Week 3

  • Monday 9/9: Wagenaar, C. all; two poems; Corn chapter 2
  • Wednesday 9/11: Workshop 1; Reading Report 1
  • Friday 9/13: No class (Jeff at conference)

Week 4

  • Monday 9/16: Workshop 1; two poems; Corn chapter 3
  • Wednesday 9/18: No Class (Jeff at conference/Arbor games)
  • Friday 9/20: Workshop 1; Reading Report 2

Week 5

  • Monday 9/23: Workshop 1; two poems
  • Wednesday 9/25: Wagenaar, M., 1-26; Corn chapter 4
  • Friday 9/27: Wagenaar, M., 27-79; Reading Report 3

Week 6

  • Monday 9/30: Wagenaar, M., 80-118; two poems
  • Wednesday 10/2: Wagenaar, M. all; Corn chapter 5
  • Friday 10/4: No Class; Fall Break

Week 7

  • Monday 10/7: Workshop 1; two poems; 
  • Wednesday 10/9: Workshop 1; Reading Report 4
  • Friday 10/11: Discussion with Wagenaars

Week 8

  • Monday 10/14: Stallings part 1; Corn chapter 6
  • Wednesday 10/16: First Portfolio due; publication discussion
  • Friday 10/18: Stallings parts 2 and 3; Corn chapter 7

Week 9

  • Monday 10/21: Stallings part 4; two poems
  • Wednesday 10/23: Stallings all; Reading Report 5
  • Friday 10/25: Workshop 2; Corn chapter 8

Week 10

  • Monday 10/28:  Workshop 2; two poems
  • Wednesday 10/30: Workshop 2; Reading Report 6
  • Friday 11/1: Workshop 2; Corn chapter 9

Week 11

  • Monday 11/4: Workshop 2; two poems
  • Wednesday 11/6: Gioia; Reading Report 7
  • Friday 11/8: Gioia; Corn chapter 10

Week 12

  • Monday 11/11: Gioia; two poems
  • Wednesday 11/13: Gioia all; Reading Report 8
  • Friday 11/15: Workshop 3

Week 13

  • Monday 11/18: Workshop 3; two poems
  • Wednesday 11/20: Workshop 3; Reading Report 9
  • Friday 11/22:  Market Assignment due

Week 14 — No Class, Thanksgiving Break

Week 15

  • Monday 12/2: Workshop 3
  • Wednesday 12/4: Workshop 3; Reading Report 10
  • Friday 12/6: Workshop for Final Portfolio

Week 16