Passanante’s Poem-A-Week List and Then Some, English 291
Creative Writing: Poetry
Here is a list of the kinds of assignments students will have in Creative Writing: Poetry (English 291). I often add or subtract poem topics during class in response to particular published poems we are studying as a class. Assignments are thematic- and subject-driven as well as form-driven. We will discuss all of these and examples in our texts in class. We often begin work in class and usually critique later drafts in class.
1. Family conflict/problem.
2. Fairy tale–focus on the conflict in the tale. Update it if you wish.
3. List poem (e.g., what’s in your room? Colors? Wishes?).
4. Love poem (without using clichés–not even the moonlight!).
5. Poem from a photograph, capturing a moment that, in retrospect, was significant.
6. Poem in the style of the visiting poet.
7. Point of view of someone–or something–unlike yourself. This poem focuses on characterization.
8. Surreal or magical imagery, experimental.
9. Collaborative poem. Students provide images individually and then make decisions about form and editing as they expand and refine their group’s version of this topic.
10. A poem in couplets. Show the appropriateness of that form to your subject. Hint: think about opposite stances, sisters, lovers, marriage, etc.
11. Write a poem that uses etymology inventively.
12. Ten things you’ve never done.
13. Make an emotion / abstraction concrete (e.g., death, loss, desire, nobility, beauty, jealousy).
14. Elegy or ode.
15. Sonnet.
16. Students’ choice–any form, any subject, any style.
17. Sestina, villanelle–any subject.
CREATIVE WRITING: POETRY (ENGLISH 291)
Joy Passanante and Jennifer Pemberton
Joy’s Office: Brink 203
882-1038 or 885-7128 or 885-6156
joy@uidaho.edu
http://www.ets.uidaho.edu/joy/
REQUIREMENTS:
Regular attendance--no more than 2 unexcused absences.
Writing of approximately 15 poems (one each week).
Poetry portfolio of all work, including at least 5 poems (your best work of your most stretched self) revised at least twice after student and instructor input. (Number the drafts, with #1 on top in each stack.)
Careful reading of the texts and additional assigned poems.
Attendance at the Dorianne Laux reading on Sep. 22, 7:30, UI Law School Court Room.
Written critiques (1-2 pages) using the critical discourse / specific terms of Writing Poems:
* Laux or Wrigley reading
* Laux or Wrigley book
* an additional book of poems by a single poet.
Proof of learning of terms and information in Writing Poems
In-class and out-of-class exercises.
Class participation.
Participation in conferences for revision.
Participation in a public reading for Final Exam (probably Monday evening of Dead Week).
TEXTS:
Writing Poems, Fourth edition, Wallace and Boisseau, HarperCollins
What We Carry, Dorianne Laux
Reign of Snakes, Robert Wrigley
Course pack (not in bookstore)
ADDITIONAL READINGS:
9/15 Lisa Steinman & Jim Shugrue
10/6 Robert Coover
10/20 Robin Hemley
11/4 (Thursday) Joy Passanante
11/17 Robert Wrigley
O.H. Tues./Thurs. 2:30-4:45; others by appointment. The best place to reach me is at home before 10 p.m. at 882-1038. I teach until 9 or so on Wednesday evenings.
CREATIVE WRITING: POETRY
English 291
Joy Passanante, Nancy Casey, Kerry O’Steen
Joy’s Office: Brink 203
882-1038 or 885-7128 or 885-6156
joy@uidaho.edu
REQUIREMENTS:
Regular attendance--no more than 2 unexcused absences.
Careful reading of the texts and additional assigned poems.
Attendance at the Jorie Graham reading (September 30 at 7:30).
Written critiques (1-2 pages) of Graham’s poetry readings and her book..
Review of an additional book of poems by a single poet.
Exam on terms and information in Writing Poems
Daily in-class exercises.
Writing of approximately one poem a week.
Additional out-of-class exercises.
Daily class participation.
Participation in conferences for revision.
Five poems revised at least twice (your best work of your most stretched self).
Participation in a public reading for Final Exam (probably Dead Week).
TEXTS:
Writing Poems, Fourth edition, Wallace and Boisseau, HarperCollins.
The Dream of the Unified Field, Graham, Ecco Press.
Course pack (not in bookstore)
CREATIVE WRITING: POETRY
ENGLISH 291 SECTION 02 / JOY PASSANANTE / BRINK 203 / FALL 2000
885-7128 or 885-6156; HOME OFFICE / 882-1038
Aug. 29 Greetings, Policies, Beginnings
31 Bishop, Intro. Writing!
Sept. 5 Ch. 1 About Reading and Writing Poetry
7 Poem #1. Lecture: Supreme Court Justice Scalia, 4:30 p.m., SUB Ballroom.
12 Ch. 7 Listing and Repetition
13 Reading: Lance Olsen (fiction)
14 Poem #2
.
19 Ch. 2 Accentual and Syllabic Verse
21 Poem #3
26 Mystery Guest?
27 Reading: Melanie Rae Thon (fiction)
28 Mystery Guest?
Oct. 3 Ch 3 Couplets and the Sounds of Full, Slant, and No Rhyme
5 Poem #4
. 10 Picnic, Lightning Parts I, II. Reading: Claire Davis (fiction)
12 Picnic, Lightning Part III, Poem #5
17 Picnic, Lightning, Part IV
18 Reading: Billy Collins (poetry) REQUIRED
19 Mystery Guest?
24 Ch 4 Elegies and Aubades. Reading: Scott Olson (creative nonfiction)
26 Poem #6
31 Ch 8 Odes and Praise Songs
Nov. 2 Reading: Barry Lopez (creative nonfiction), Poem #7
7 Ch 10 Quatrains
9 Books chosen and approved for review, Poem #8
14 Ch 11 Sestinas (plus Villanelles, pp. 362-373)
16 Poem #9
Give Thanks.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
28 Book Review Presentations
30 Book Review Presentations, Poem #10
Dec. 5 Workshops, discussion of portfolios
7 Workshops, Poem #11
12 Workshops
14 Workshops, Poem #12, Poetry Portfolios due
Final Exam: Public reading (TBA)
POETRY BOOK REVIEW
1.Discuss the style of the poet; if you know anything about the poet’s other work(s), compare the style in this book to that of other poems or books you’ve read or studied. Use examples judiciously (i.e., galore!).
2.Organize detailed discussions around the strengths and weaknesses of particular poems/lines, etc. Use at least 15 terms describing poetic techniques from Writing Poems in your discussion--and highlight each term before you hand it in.
3 Here’s a grab-bag of additional possibilities to enrich and enliven and just plain develop your discussion: Order of poems? Titles? Variety? Themes? Transition poems?
4. A very wise teacher of mine once said, “All criticism begins with ‘I like’ or ‘I don’t like’.”
Justify your likes and dislikes. Use all the elements of successful rhetoric (yes, you WILL have to use your 102/104 class again) to persuade us of the intelligence, vigor, and (dare I say it?) truth of your ideas/perceptions.
5. Correct for punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc. and return to the beginning at the end.
6. Cover three pages at least. (Reminder: A “P” is a “C” or better.)
POETRY WRITING: THE PLAN
Mar. 10 CLASS #9
Deb Does Discussion / Dialogue
Workshops
Prom Poem due.
Mar. 24 CLASS #10
Joy Orates on Odes
Workshops (bring a photocopy for each participant--about 8)
Book Review due.
Mar. 31 CLASS #11
Joy Elaborates on Elegies
Ode due.
Apr. 7 CLASS #12
Dive into Dacey
Run to Reading
Finish Fives, bring notes on themes and style, what works/what doesn’t, compare to Van Winckle.
Elegy due.
Apr. 14 CLASS #13
Read Rest of Coursepack, concentrating on Repetition Poems (villanelles, sestinas, pantoums) for Peak Poem Project. Begin one of each of the three.
Revise whatever for workshops (bring photocopies).
Apr. 21 CLASS #14
Conferences
Bring repetition poem drafts (peak poem project) and any revisions you want.
Apr. 28 CLASS #15
Metaphors
Practice for Reading
Workshop on Repetition Poems
Bring metaphors as assigned.
May 3 MONDAY !! CLASS #16
Passanante’s Proteges Perform
May 12 FINAL FINAL -Poetry Portfolios (all poems, including 5 poems revised three times each on top) due by 5 p.m. in Joy’s mailbox At the Brink.
JOY’S 291, FALL 1999, THE FINAL SIX WEEKS
October 26 Course pack and composite poems--discussion and workshop; elegies.
October 28 Elegy drafts--workshop; bring 12 copies. Sestinas, villanelles, and pantoums.
Nov. 2 Workshops.
Nov. 4 Sestina/villanelle/pantoum drafts. Odes. Joy’s reading at 7:30 p.m. in Law Court Room.
Nov. 9 Ode drafts.
Nov. 11 Guest writers.
Nov. 16 Reviews of book by a single poet due. Workshops.
Nov 17 Robert Wrigley Reading, 7:30 p.m. in Law Court Room
Nov. 18 Workshops.
Nov. 30 Revisions. Workshops.
Dec. 2 Wrigley reviews due.
Dec. 6 (Monday) Class reading in p.m.
Dec. 7 Conferences this week instead of class?
Dec. 9 Conferences this week instead of class?
Final Exam--Portfolios due in Brink 203 by Wednesday Dec. 15 at 3 p.m.
JOY’S 291, FALL 1999, THE FINAL SIX WEEKS
October 26 Course pack and composite poems--discussion and workshop; elegies.
October 28 Elegy draft--workshop; bring 12 copies. Sestinas, villanelles, and pantoums.
Nov. 2 Workshops.
Nov. 4 Sestina/villanelle/pantoum drafts. Odes. Joy’s reading at 7:30 p.m. in Law Court Room.
Nov. 9 Ode drafts.
Nov. 11 Guest writers.
Nov. 16 Reviews of book by a single poet due. Workshops.
Nov 17 Robert Wrigley Reading, 7:30 p.m. in Law Court Room
Nov. 18 Workshops.
Nov. 30 Revisions. Workshops.
Dec. 2 Wrigley reviews due.
Dec. 6 (Monday) Class reading in p.m.
Dec. 7 Conferences this week instead of class?
Dec. 9 Conferences this week instead of class?
Final Exam--Portfolios due in Brink 203 by Wednesday Dec. 15 at 3 p.m.
ASSIGNMENT: POEM # 1--LIST OR COLOR POEM (due Thurs. Sept. 7)
Be inventive, experimental, creative. I realize this is the first class poem, and I’m not expecting polished drafts--just explorations. But do type.
Choose ONE of the following two:
1. Refer to the poem by Barbara Drake that we read in class last Thursday. Use the poem as a model (What’s in the empty field . . .”), but substitute for the details of the plants details from your room instead. This can be your room at home or in your campus or off-campus living space. Copy the form of the Drake poem. Use a question at the beginning, the same number of stanzas--and the end lines in both stanzas (“to begin with” and “to end with”). OR--you may change the sort of question you pose in the introductory question in Stanza 1 or the endings of both stanzas. You have a great deal of leeway with this assignment, but the important criteria are specific details and the copying of the form. I will be looking for interesting details. Make them individual, details that show your personality.
2. Use your notes on the color you chose last time in class--or choose a new color to list-- and create a two-stanza poem from them. It should be about the same length as the Barbara Drake poem. You may be as creative as you want, but you should list at least 15 things that are the color you chose.
POETRY READING AND WRITING TERMS
CHAPTER 1
verse
meter
line
end-stop
enjambment
caesura
personification
form
stanza
CHAPTER 2
free verse
visible form
CHAPTER 3
accentual-syllabic meter
foot
iamb
monometer, et alia (list them all)
trochee
anapest
dactyl
spondee
double iamb
accented
unaccented
anacrusis
feminine ending
CHAPTER 3
scansion
CHAPTER 4
diction
syntax
repetition
alliteration
assonance
rhyme
onomatopoeia
off-rhyme
slant rhyme
consonance
internal rhyme
texture
CHAPTER 5
content
image
presenting
visual detail
ambiguity
CHAPTER 6
persona
narrative
point of view
irony
symbol
CHAPTER 7
simile
metaphor
CHAPTER 8
muse
inspiration
genius
subconscious
auditory imagination
archetype
associations
surreality
CHAPTER 9
sentimentality
overstatement
understatement
hyperbole
POETIC COLLABORATION
Here is the random list of images students came up with individually on the theme of the high school yearbook. Now, small groups will be responsible for forming these into a finished poem–choosing the most appropriate, creative form and carefully culling out and tweaking images. (Hint: Choose only those lines to use and edit that contribute to a poem that is well integrated in terms of both sound and sense.)
HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK IMAGES — RECIPE FOR A POEM
Directions: Mix 10-15 images, add spices and complementary ingredients from your poetic pantry, knead and tweak, let them find their own consistency and form (be ready to justify it--okay, so some of this has to be academic!), and revise according to taste. Voila!!!
Ingredients:
Scoreboard proved a losing game, volleyball players huddled closely with hugs and handshakes. Seniors crowded around their half of the stretched rope, hands purple as they grip and strain. “Don’t tread on me. I drive a Hummer.” “Mr. Eaton, if you call quizzes ‘quizzicles,’ what do you call tests?”Girlfriends dancing at arms length for the Wallflower Waltz. Eleven lovely little wallflowers all in a row. The forgotten lockerside romance of Samanda and Casey. The bad crowd is smoking Camels in the church parking lot--Officer Mattingly is on the way. Death threats, scrawled in ketchup on the lunch table, against the vice principal. Flinging a pound of lunch meat out the bus window, aiming for oncoming vehicles’ windshields. “I was the first to sign your crack”in the crease of every page. “I will puke on your shoes”--a memory of the terrorist who brought deer testicles to Earth Science class. Dodging through gossip, elbows, and morning breath 3 times a day at “The Junction.” Beefy brothers in too tight wrestling singlets . From diapers to diplomas. We all picked on Connie Snow. Bob, Kirk, and Shawn had their own Mrs. Robinson dreams with Jeremy’s mom. “Call me if you want to get laid”scrawled in smeared black form the boy that wears the drawstring flight pants. Watches without faces between junior, senior, and sophomore classes. Thank you for the help in biology, the whole class should thank you, too. Lauren’s phone number next to her name, which significantly differed form the number she left in my best friends’ annual. Brett Woodland, valedictorian, using “two” instead of “to” in my yearbook. The panoramic picture includes the parking lot behind the woodshop, where Lance Wilson sold weed form his ‘75 Landrover. The Homecoming Queen in her sleek velvet dress is carrying a linebacker’s child, but no one knew it then. The boys who reeked of their father’s stolen Brut Aftershave. The guy who took his unborn daughter to the prom. Scribble, scratchy phrases form the monkey man.“When everyone else is dead and gone, ‘96 will party on, ‘95 will think they’re cool, but ‘96 will always rule.”Cafeteria scones that don’t quite capture the stench of fish stick Fridays. Dorky Senior “Men”shoving two pieces of pepperoni pizza in their mouth at once. One-week loves. Row after row of tornado-hit hair. Cheap smiles. Colored-in senior tuxedo tie undone, black jacket across his shoulders, stogie in his mouth. My best friend forever. Where is she now?