Young America

In this poetry workshop, we will read and discuss the work of young American poets. By reading closely and discussing these works, students will gain a better understanding of craft (various techniques such as line, music, fragment, white space, and metaphor), as well as how to go about incorporating the various components of one's life. For example, how does one incorporate the influence of pop culture, family, illness, war, poverty, and excess via poetry? The hope is that, by the end of this one semester course, each student will find at least one young American poet whose work inspires her/him and will learn more about craft and how to structure a poem. Each student will be expected to write one poem a week, as well as to read and discuss multiple books of poems.