English 13 - Spring 2007
Welcome! This course is intended both for students who already write
poetry and/or lyrics and those who are interested in beginning to
write. Experience with reading or writing poetry is not necessary;
what is necessary is that you have a desire to appreciate and create
poems. We will be engaged in a combination of writing and revising
our own work, reading and critiquing each other's poems, reading and
discussing work by established poets, and exploring the nature of
language and art in general.
By the end of the semester, you will have produced a personal portfolio
that reflects your progress and process with writing poetry. It may
include pieces you are still revising, poems that you feel are "done,"
feedback and critique that you find valuable, and poems by other authors
that have influenced or impacted you. If you become serious about
writing, you may choose to develop a "showcase" portfolio
as well, a presentation of your best work, which can be used for submission
to journals, contests and workshops.
I see no point in picking
up pen and paper unless
you are going to consign to
that paper the truth.
~ Gwendolyn Brooks, U.S. Poet Laureate 1985
