The Craft of Poetry

Through reading, writing, and workshopping, students in this course will come to appreciate formal poetry with maturity and insight. Over the course of two weeks, we will study form, meter, rhythm, rhyme, imagery, and metaphor. Between class meetings, students will be responsible for completing assignments; 50% of homework will be writing, and 50% will be reading. Students will receive in-depth written feedback on their work from the teacher; this is reflected in the price of the course.

We will begin each meeting with a check-in regarding the previous day's assignment. As time allows, we will workshop at least one student's latest work (on a volunteer basis). Then we will move into the day's material. Typically, each meeting will center on one form of poetry and one element of poetry. We will use lecture, written materials, video clips, audio clips, games, and discussion to engage with the concepts. We will review concepts as a group throughout the 2-week term. In their final class, students will share (as they choose) their work with the group, "open mic" style; everyone will be encouraged to wear their best poet outfits (think: black turtlenecks, berets) and drink beverage out of mugs, as if they're hanging out in their favorite indie café.

Basic course outline:
Day 1: Intro and Free Verse
Day 2: Rhyme and Ballads
Day 3: Syllables and Haiku
Day 4: Meter and Limericks
Day 5: Blank Verse
Day 6: Sonnets
Day 7: Vilannelles
Day 8: Readings and Review