The List Poem: We will be taking a look at how lists function and dysfunction in American poetry–including inquiry into what elements define a list in poetry (are they different from what defines a list outside of poetry? Can a series/sequence of poems be viewed as an annotated list? Is there a difference between listing and cataloging?), as well as questioning the list as an example of a contemporary form. Readings will include: Larry Levis’ “Elegy with a Thimble Full of Water in the Cage”, selections from Michael Palmer’s “Codes Appearing”, Kate Greenstreet’s “56 Days” series, and, of course, Walt Whitman.
The ‘After’ Poem: Through close and comparative readings, we will discuss the following questions: What does it mean to write a poem “After” someone? How does influence reveal itself in new ways when the reader is signaled to its presence? How does an “after poem” differ from a poem “to” or “for” someone, or something? Readings will include poems by James Wright, Wallace Stevens, Peter Gizzi, John Ashberry, James Schyler, and Jennifer Moxley.
Visionary Poetics: This workshop will focus on poems written in the 21st century which engage in a philosophical poetic, grounded in lived experiences and characterized by an imaginative intensity and a vast verbal range. We will explore a poetry that evokes, creates, or redefines the standard version of human perception and vision, exploring the subjectivity of each person’s relationship with language and experience, while avoiding the impulse to be surreal, didactic, or fantastical. Poets discussed include: Peter Richards, John Ashberry, G.C. Waldrep, Zachary Schomburg, Aase Berg, Charles Wright, and Katie Ford.
Unsweetened: The Short Poem: In this workshop we will focus on poems of no more than 12 lines written by 20th and 21st century poets. We will explore the formal and linguistic qualities of short verse; the idea of telescopes and microscopes will structure the discussion and serve as a metaphor for the activity, energy, and organization of the poetry. Poets discussed include: Ezra Pound, Blaise Cendrars, H.D., Donald Hall, Nick Flynn, Michael Palmer, Jack Gilbert, and Forrest Gander.
Tutor: Zachary Carlsen.
