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Remember: NO CLASS on Thursday.

However, you do have homework.

1. Please write one sonnet and one pantoum (on subjects to be decided in class). Email them to me.

2. Email three poems you have written and would like critiqued to your workshop group. You should have been assigned a group on Tuesday, and gotten the email addresses.

Once you have received your group members' poems, please write critiques for the Tuesday workshop. See blog (when posted) for instructions on critiques.

Reading:
Gwynn -
“Sonnet 73” – William Shakespeare (476)
“Sonnet 116” – William Shakespeare (476)

Burroway - read the rest of the poetry chapter, pgs. 319-323

Writing:
1. Imitation Poem – pick one poet who has two or more poems published in Gwynn. Type the poems onto a page. Pick out patterns of the poet’s voice. What elements of poetic craft does the poet use? What subject matter does the poet like? Write a paragraph about the elements of this poet’s craft. Then write an imitation poem using the same type of subject, the same elements of craft.

2. Craft a list poem. Re-order it. Think of imagery, density, connotation.


Bring your Gwynn book to class.

Reading - all in Gwynn:
One Art, Elizabeth Bishop, (614)
Song of Myself 6, Walt Whitman, (527)
Diving Into the Wreck, Adrienne Rich, (675)

Writing:
1. Choose a poem from Gwynn or Burroway. Rewrite it as I did with “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed” (see handout from Tuesday's class). Then, on a separate page, write it out as a paragraph taking out all line and stanza breaks. Bring both to class – they will be part of your in-class writing exercises.

2. Object Poem: Look around your kitchen at some food objects – cereal, an apple, cookies, chips, broccoli, rice, pasta, tortillas, milk, beer, etc. Which one might make a good subject for a poem and why? Write a poem about one of these objects, keeping in mind: Imagery, Connotation, and Density & Intensity (see Burroway or handout from Tuesday if you don't remember what these are).

Tuesday, Oct. 24, Thursday, Oct. 26 and Tuesday, Oct. 31 we will be focusing exclusively on writing poetry.

On Thursday, Nov. 2 there will be NO CLASS. On that day you are responsible for emailing your workshop members three poems. Workshop groups will be determined on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Tuesday, Nov. 7 is the poetry workshop – DO NOT MISS THIS CLASS.

Your poetry assignment will be due on Thursday, Nov. 9. This includes 5-7 revised poems, typed, one poem per page, and a short paragraph for each poem as to what poetic elements you are working with in the piece.

Please bring your copy of Gwynn to every poetry class but the workshop.

"Famous Blue Raincoat"

It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening.

I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record.

Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?

Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train
And you came home without Lili Marlene

And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife.

Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well I see Jane's awake --

She sends her regards.
And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way.

If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.

Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried.

And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear

-- Sincerely, L. Cohen

Reading:
(1) pages 309-319 in poetry chapter of Burroway
(2) Leonard Cohen lyrics for "Famous Blue Raincoat" (posted on the blog)

Writing:
Write a letter in the form of a poem. The content should in some way be about betrayal - in other words, the speaker (writer) of the poem should have been betrayed in some way by the person they are writing to. See the Cohen song as an example of a letter about betrayal. This is a song, but lyrics have much in common with poetry. Bring a typed copy for me.

If you didn't get me your typed critiques for the workshop, bring them to me (and the author) on Tuesday. Also, please bring me a copy of the piece you submitted to your workshop group, so that I can better evaluate the critiques.

Reading & Writing:
Read your group writing pieces. Write a brief response to each piece. Answer the following questions:

1. What is interesting about this piece of writing and why?
2. What does this piece of writing express and why?
3. What do you think is most successful about this piece of writing?
4. How could this piece of writing be improved?

Please type your response and bring two copies, one for the author and one for me.

Optional but highly suggested:
Read all of the Burroway chapter on Development and Revision starting on page 207. Concentrate on the sections "Developing a Draft," "Revision," "Editing," and "The Workshop" - but the entire chapter is worth reading, especially at this point in the semester.

Bring two typed copies of two pieces of work that you would like critiqued. Also, for each, bring two questions that you have.

Reading:

"How I Met My Husband" by Alice Munroe
Gwynn, pg. 250

Writing:
Three one-line stories. Be prepared to read them out loud.

Reading:
Burroway: Story Chapter, 163-172
"Woodchucks" by Maxime Kumin, 194

Gwynn: "Home Burial" by Robert Frost, 558

Writing: Use a piece from your writing journal to create a "story" poem in the style of either Frost or Kumin. It can be any length.