Poetry Workshop

ENG 411 POETRY WORKSHOP

Instructor: Noʻu Revilla

Email: no.u.revi@gmail.com

 

“Let it matter what we call a thing.”                       “I say to you: broken shit.”

— Solmaz Sharif                                                 — Tiana Clark

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Poetry is a struggle for precision. In this 400-level workshop, we will be guided by two principles: writing is recursive and writing builds community. To engage the first principle (writing is recursive), students will draft poems each week and be attentive to the ways their prewriting, writing, and revising stages develop throughout the semester. In line with this attention, mandatory final portfolios will include process documents on revision, risk, and poetics as well as 10 pages of original poetry. To engage the second principle (writing builds community), students will actively participate in regular peer workshops and develop the vocabulary to share constructive and compassionate feedback. With specific attention to craft, we will also diversify our understanding of poetic form and content. As poetry is based in oral traditions and is meant to be embodied, students will be required to perform two recitations – first as a collective and second as individuals.

 

REQUIRED COURSE TEXTS

  • Natalie Diaz, When My Brother Was an Aztec
  • Sage Takehiro, Honua
  • Craig Santos Perez, from unincorporated territory [saina]