Assignment for Thursday, Nov. 1

In Mayes's The Discovery of Poetry, read two Shakespeare sonnets, XCVII (on p. 312) and CXVI (on pp. 328-329). Also, begin thinking about a sonnet you could write using the same rhyme scheme and rhythmic pattern as Shakespeare.

Assignment for Thursday, Oct. 25

In France Mayes's The Discovery of Poetry, read pp. 33-41. Pay attention to the different ways you can focus on sounds to draw attention to your poetry's words. Then read the following poems at the end of that chapter: "The Fish" (pp. 53-55), "Mushroom Hunting in the Jemez Mountains" (p. 61), "Words" (p. 62), and "Today" (pp. 62-63). Ideally, you'll read them twice. Be sure to identify any words that stand out to you, and any lines or phrases you wish you could have written. 

Assignment for Tuesday, Oct. 23

Finish your first poem; email it to me when it is complete, and begin working on the second poem, which will be due next Tuesday, Oct. 30. Also, as we talked about in class, start thinking about imagery and words associated with your sense of smell: memories, places, people that go with a particular scent or multiple scents. You don't have to start writing a poem, but start formulating ideas and thinking about words that could capture those memories and experiences associated with one or more particular scents. As we mentioned in class, don't neglect verbs related to smell.

Also, for posterity's sake, here are the exquisite corpses that you developed in class.

Exquisite Corpse 1, Oct. 19, 2018
(with thanks to Theodore Roethke's "Where Knock Is Open Wide" for the first two lines)

Once upon a tree
I came upon a time
As green as leaves can be
As long as golden twine
and I stood there waiting
for the sun divine
to come out and shine
like a clock
running on endless time
tick tock went the leaves,
the tree began to chime
I felt like time was nothing
but a fine line that stood out and shined.
But soon the green will fade
And time be antique
Those sands turn all to sand


Exquisite Corpse 2, Oct. 19, 2018
(with thanks to Hugh MacDiarmid's "Crystals Like Blood" for the first two lines)

I remember how, long ago, I found
Crystals like blood in broken stone.
They sparkled and glittered in the morning sun
the crack in the rock like split skin.
Over time, I've learned to forget,
forget where I was. Good
riddance, those incandescent stories,
stories about those accidents,
to me as salt to a strip-flesh wound
burning the flesh on contact
crystalizing skin to stone
like rusting metal
piercing through a soft surface.

Assignment for Friday, Oct. 19

In The Discovery of Poetry, read pp. 26-33, and bring the book to class. Continue working on your poem(s). Try to finish one of them by Friday; if you can't, that's fine, but I'll definitely need it emailed to me by next Tuesday's class (Oct. 23). When you finish one poem, begin another using one of the prompts that you saw in class, or one of your own. As a heads up, I'd like to have the second poem by Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Assignment for Wednesday, Oct. 17

Continue working on your poem. Consider any elements that could bring it closer to expressing what you want to say—the sounds, the imagery, figurative language, eliminating excess words, and the like. If you feel you can do nothing else to make it what you want it to be, begin another poem using the prompts and exercises I've given you (including the instructional poem you started in today's class), or just write something on your own. If you misplaced Wallace Berry's "How to Be a Poet," you can find it here.

In addition, read the nine diverse poems at the end of Chapter 1 of The Discovery of Poetry (pp. 14-23). 

• First, read them in silence. You might not make it through all of them, and that's okay, but give them a chance to strike your spirit. 
• Then, of the ones you liked, read them a second time, but aloud. 
• Next, rank those poems in order of preference using any criteria you wish. 
• Lastly, write a brief explanation of your preference. 

The point of this exercise is to make you aware not only of your current preferences, but also of the kinds of things you're attuned to when you read poetry. 

Assignment for Monday, Oct. 15

Finish a draft of the poem you started in class. As you arrange the poem, consider the words and sounds you want to draw the reader's attention to. Be deliberate about the length of the lines, the sounds of the poem, and the images. Consider, too, which words you really don't need to convey the poem's emotions and ideas. If you don't like these options for developing a poem, see the two other options described below.

Also, if you want a prize (smaller than the one offered in the first round), be prepared to recite a poem  from memory in Monday's class. If you don't have a poem memorized for Monday, you will be expected to recite one for Wednesday's class.

Here are two more options to help you start writing a poem. First consider an activity you do every day, or at least on a regular basis if it isn't daily. Write a poem about getting ready for school, doing homework, working out, practicing an instrument or sport, working at a job, performing a chore, cooking, or some similar, regularly performed activity.

Here's another option. Make a list of things you love, and make another list of things you hate. (This probably works best if you put a line down the middle of a page and have one side for love, and the other for hate.) Now write a poem about something that you love and hate, or that combines elements of both lists.