ENGL 200, INTRODUCTION TO POETRY WRITING, Spring 2014

Abstract

This course is designed to help participants broaden their understanding and appreciation of the craft of poetry. Bearing in mind that the English word poetry derives from the Greek poēisis (an act of “making”) we will approach writing as a means of producing ideas rather than simply expressing them. Throughout the semester we will be, as Auden put it, “playing with words,” and our work will focus on elements of poetry such as diction, rhythm, imagery, and arrangement. We will read a large sampling of contemporary poetry; we will do a lot of writing, from weekly exercises to polished poems; we will discuss this writing in workshop format and learn how to make it better.