We will
spend half the semester reading and analyzing the work of professional
contemporary poets and songwriters. Then we will compose and edit our own
poems and songs, based on the styles and strategies of our favorite
artists. Much workshop critique and presentation of original work.
The songwriting emphasizes lyrics; you will not have to sing in class if you
don’t want to. The course focuses on how to write phrases, clauses, and
sentences, and the overall structure of a completed work (hook, ascension,
climax, denouement); therefore the lessons will help any student writer, no
matter which genre you prefer, poetry or prose. All are welcome, but you
must pledge to earn an A. Enrollment limited.
