Our focus in poetry so far has been centered on themes, images, and figurative language. This week, we turn our attention to the "rhythm" of a poems - the rhyme, meter, and structure of formalist (closed-form) poetry.
Writing represents a complex interplay between author, audience, and artifact. As a teacher, my goals are to help students identify their personal writing goals, illustrate the importance of social and cultural considerations that affect genres, and then guide them in preparing works that will resonate with readers. The lesson plans shared here represent several years of my teaching.
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Monday, April 25, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Hopkins Review Essays - Winter 2011
Though the literary essay may not feel as "creative" as a story or a poem, it does provide some very useful tools to help us progress as creative writers. For this semester, we'll be writing five-page essays to be turned in with the final portfolio on the last day of class. For your essay, please choose either a story or poem(s) from the Winter 2011 Hopkins Review.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Participation Grades - The 100-Point Scale
Participation is a critical component of any creative writing course. We learn from each other by sharing our thoughts on the readings and workshop pieces.
Course Grading - Participation
Friday, April 1, 2011
Mining Poetry from Emotions, Memory, and Sensation
What is the source of poetry? How do we develop the carefully measured lines of poetry from the nebulous memories and emotions of our lives? In these exercises, we look at what makes a poem "good," and then practice using these concepts in developing our own poetry.