POST for THURSDAY 18, 2011

Reminder post.

Remember, each student in Eng280, do bring in a poem
(along with 14 copies (to be safe)). We will talk
about style and further discuss how such a style,
whatever it may be, might work once extended and
repeated (which can mean various things--some poems
will want to remain consistently as they are, some
will want variations (departure from the so called
"style" evident in the given poem) but this is just
confusing, and will be clear when spoken of . . .).

The larger schedule of dates is below, but I'll repeat
right here: On January 25: You will bring in a
collection of 6-8 poems,with copies for everyone,
stapled in the top right hand corner,your best perhaps,
but also what feels like it goes together. Imagine the
6-8 poems will continue, and you will be following
the PATTERN it suggests UNTIL YOU HAVE A BOOK.
We will read and comment on these on Feb 1, and Feb 8.
(etc?)

To read for next time:

Louise Mathias’s Above All Else the Trembling
Resembles a Forest

Same as above. This short book, a chapbook, you will have
skimmed by Thursday, and have finished READING by
Jan 25th, when Louise will visit the class. Be ready to at least
speak to it next week a bit.

David Dodd Lee’s Downsides of Fish Culture

Read to page 34 by January 18. Read to page 63 by
January 25. Yes, yes, so shoot me. But it seems obvious
to me this is a “best” way to talk about the process of
MAKING (as a writer) manuscripts of poems. I think of
each, in an odd way, as a weird little elliptical novel.
As I publish each book I’ve dismantled and made
cubist the FORM. How much does one change one’s
subject matter? How much does one stay the same?
I’m big on lots of change. Some writers write one way
and stick to that until the end of their lives (subject
matter might vary then). I have Xeroxed mss. to hand out.
ASK QUESTIONS.

In the FAT anthology.

For Jan 18 check out Whitman and Dickinson

Whitman: “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking”
“I Hear It Was Charged Against Me”
“I Hear America Singing”
“One’s-Self I Sing”
“For You O Democracy”

Dickinson: #s 258, 280, 341, 465, 585, 712, 1072, 1129

A poem by W.S. Merwin was read last night at the
Memorial for the shooting. He's in the text. Please
read his poem called "Berryman." It's a great poem
about poetry.