• participation and short presentations 20%
• Reading journal 20%
• Workshop poems 30%
• Final portfolio 30%

NOTES:

Participation and short presentations:

I am expecting that everyone will come to class having read the week’s material (whether assigned readings or the workshop poems of your fellow students) and with something to say. The basis of the workshop is respectful and constructive peer feedback: think carefully about your fellow students’ poems, and in class, after a student has presented their poem for workshop, please be ready to offer your polite and helpful comments.

You should be reading as much poetry as you can get your hands on. Sources for contemporary poetry will be provided; at least twice in the semester, each student will present a poem they have discovered to the class, reading it aloud and sharing their thoughts on the techniques employed and the compositional choices the poet in question has made.

Reading journal:                                              

Students will keep a reading journal, comprised of at least five approximately 250-word entries on poems from the reading list provided by the instructor. Journal entries are intended to be reading notes (rather than mini essays) as students think through and reflect upon the poem in question’s poetics—the how and why of the ways the poem is written.

Workshop poems:                                         

Students will compose and submit six poems for workshop during the course. Writing prompts will be provided for each workshop. Poems are shared via the class email list, by the Monday before our Wednesday class time, on weeks we are workshopping.

Final portfolio:                                                

The final portfolio will comprise 12-15 pages of poetry. It can include revised poems previously submitted for workshop, but at least half of the portfolio should be work not previously workshopped.