Blackout Poetry

My favorite e-mail this week!

                             

READ THIS! (Thanks Mariah :)
http://www.bitrebels.com/design/newspaper-blackout-poems-a-creative-way-to-write-poetry/

This Week

 

  

If you want to have our rejection/holiday party on Friday this is what must happen: 

1. Try all 8 forms provided.
2. Workshop and polish your 4 favorite poems.
3. Enter Scholastic
4. Try blackout poetry? More on this soon!
5. Poetry reading/circle of love (at party?)

Party

1. Poetry reading/circle of love?
2. Games: I am excited about this, so you must pretend to be...
3. Movie?
4. Music?
5. Food? If you would like to bring something, write a post so we know.
6. I can bring cookies? Or something. Requests?

OKAY... What else?

 

Over Break:

1. Pick a chapter to try. Feel free to alter the "rules" so that the prompt works for you.
2. Choose a CONTEMPORARY Poet, find a book of his/her work, read, bring in. Choose a favorite poem by this author to share upon your return.

We need to work hard now so we can celebrate later :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E-mail from Ms. Proctor

T ’was the night before Xmas and here at SOTA so nice,

Not a creature was stirring except all the mice,

They dance through the halls and rooms all about,

Their quest for the feasts all the humans leave out.

Not to be cruel to the creatures at night,

By not leaving them a morsel or bite,

We make this request to all of you…so nice,

Don’t leave out your food for our fat little mice.

Scholastic Art and Writing

First Period
The deadline for Scholastic Art and Writing is fast approaching! Our region's deadline is January 4th. With the winter break coming fast, we do not have many school days to get this together. There are 27 categories, and the creative writing department will pay the entry fee for those interested in entering this contest. Aren't you excited? I sure am!

 

Please spend 1st period looking over the contest guidelines and deciding if and what you plan to submit. You can also register online today. Did you know there is a Senior Portfolio category? It's true!

 

Categories
http://www.artandwriting.org/the-awards/how-to-submit/categories

 

How to Submit
http://www.artandwriting.org/the-awards/how-to-submit

 

 

Second Period
Poetry form time!

 

Is there a form you hate? One you just don't quite get? Guess what I am going to let you do?

 

Collaborate with a peer! Struggle with it together! Look up examples together! Write together! Have fun together!
(Please make sure you both keep a copy in your portfolios.)

 

By the end of class you should have:

 

• Looked over the Scholastic Art and Writing contest guidelines
• 6/8 Forms (1st drafts/one can be co-written)
• 2 Polished poems from the 6 drafts/attempts

Creative Inspiration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IfmCMTjABk

Happy MP3

Good Morning!

I cannot believe it is already MP3! Did you read what I posted on Friday? I was so wrapped up in our circle of love that I forgot to collect your work.

Please look back at Friday's post and organize that assignment. Once you get that taken care of, please attempt to write another form from the list (that means you should have tried 5/8 forms.)

The forms we are attempting are:

ode

elegy

villanelle

sestina

pantoum

sonnet

haiku

senryu

 

How are you doing with the forms? Post a response so I know how you are doing!

 

I would like to do more sharing this marking period. Please prepare yourselves for more cirlces of love :)

 

Homework: Let's discuss this in class.

Congratulations to Gracie and Gus on an outstanding performance! It was my favorite to see the two of you engaging in a sword fight. I was smiling from ear to ear!

Congratulations to Maddy on receiving an honorable mention for Young Arts! I am so proud of you!

GREAT class today!

Seniors,

I truly enjoyed having an open dialogue with you guys today. I loved hearing your opinions, getting feedback, and listening to your poetry. We should do that more often!

If you have any concerns about your portfolios, please set up a time to meet with me.

For Tuesday

Please bring in your four poems, and your one workshopped/polished poem.

Since we are only focusing on one, MAKE IT GLOW.

Have a fabulous weekend! You should be proud of the work your produced this marking period.

Love,
Ms. Perez

KEY/Assignments

ENJOY!

Key

DRAFT= A copy of poem  (there could be more than one if you choose)

HOMEWORK= You have to try a poem. One draft only. If you want to do more with it, it falls under one or more of the categories below.

POEM IN PROGRESS= You are working with this poem. You have started to workshop and/or are planning to workshop/work with it. You know there is more there.

EVIDENCE OF WORKSHOP=Your poetry has comments written by peers/it is clear you are working with the poem.

POLISHED POEM= This poem has been worked with. You have drafts. You have workshopped. You have lost countless hours of sleep over it. It is as perfect as you can make it, though you know your work is never done...


Assignments

Past Due
1. Define all forms of poetry posted last class. Do research if you need to. Ask questions if you do not understand.
2. Try to write two of the poems (one DRAFT) provided.

For Today
1. Try two more of the forms provided (one DRAFT). This means you should have tried 4 out of 8 forms.
2. Workshop 2 of the 4 poems you have tried over the past few days.

COME TO CLASS FRIDAY with 4 DRAFTS and EVIDENCE OF WORKSHOP for two poems.

I hope this post is helpful. If you have any questions, please ask!

Portfolios

Please take 1st period to put finishing touches on your portfolios. Double check your check list, etc,

Stay tuned for 2nd period agenda...

PERIOD 2

We are going to start to learn about more forms of poetry! Please take notes on each of the following:

ode
elegy
villanelle
sestina
pantoum
sonnet
haiku
senryu

Please choose 2 from the list and write, write, write! (You will have to try them all eventually.)

WATCH THIS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqdBZZToCpw

Portfolio Requirements

Check List

Chapters 4-7                           _______

2-3 Chapters of your Choice    _______

Evidence of Workshop             _______

Poem (s) from Project              _______    

5-7 Polished Poems                 _______

2-5 New Poems in Progress     _______

2 Page Reflection?                    _______

Portfolios will be due on Monday... Please hand them in as soon as they are done!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you were able to have productive workshop time and enjoyed the Bill Moyers video we viewed today.

Homework

Over the weekend, I ask that you choose one chapter in your text to complete. If you were not present when I made the announcement, I am going to allow you to choose your own chapters from now on. Please make sure you label your poems and read the poems in the chapters.

Also, please get your work organized! Portfoilios will be due next week!

Have a fabulous long weekend.

I am thankful to have each and every one of you in my life. You are the best students in the world!

Ms. Perez

Workshop/Conference Day

Happy short week!

I would like to thank you for doing such a wonderful job on your projects. I enjoyed your presentations immensely.

Here is what you need to do today:

Complete chapter 5 in your texts (I have note cards)

Hopefully you have plenty of poems to work with. Please workshop and/or get caught up on any other assignments.

I have work to pass back and will be calling you up individually to conference.

Next week you will need to submit your portfolios (with evidence of workshop and polished poems) for a major grade!

Homework: 

Homework

• Projects are past due. Please complete all written portions and turn them in!
• Please skip chapter 5 in your texts and complete chapters 6 and 7 for Monday :)

Presentations

• You will present your projects today! I am looking forward to seeing what you've discovered.
• I have some work to pass back, and I need to conference with some of you.
• Please work on cards, poems, workshop, etc. at this time.

Projects/Portfolios

Good morning!

Please work on your projects this morning. I am going to come around and check in with each group. Many of you have expressed a need to have the weekend to finish up. I am willing to give this time if you use our class productively today!

We need to discuss the presentations of projects as well...

Along with working on projects, you need to start organizing your portfolios for the next check. Please use the checklist provided on Monday as a guide.

We will talk more about expectations in class.

Keep up the great work!

CHECKLIST

If you want an A in Poetry class, do this:

Project Proposal (10/22)                            _____

Return Billy Collins (10/24)                         _____

Project Guidelines (10/24)                           _____

Chapter 1 in Poetry Writing (10/24)          _____

Chapter 2 in Poetry Writing (10/26)         _____

Evidence of Workshop! (10/31)                _____

Chapter 3 in Poetry Writing (10/31)         _____

Bennington Entry Confirmation (11/1)    _____

Works Cited Page (11/1)                           _____

2-4 Polished Poems (11/5)                        _____

Regroup/Projects/ETC.

Good Morning-

Period 1

• Since we didn't see each other at all last week, we need to regroup!
• My substitute did not collect any work last Thursday. Do you have your assignments? Please go back through the blog posts and look at what you need to submit. I can provide a checklist if that will be helpful.
• You are supposed to be working in your Poetry Writing book and responding to prompts for homework. Have you done so?
• Your works cited page was due last week, did you do it?
• Work on projects!

Period 2

• Continue to workshop
• Work on 3X5 poems
• Portfolios will be collected in the near future :)

Workshop/Projects

Good Morning Starshines!

As you can see I am not here today. Please complete the tasks listed below in class today. There is plenty to do! I will see you tomorrow. E-mail me with questions!

Today is the final day to submit entries to Bennington. If you are still unclear about the guidelines please read my post from last Friday.

Your entry to Bennington will be a major writing grade. You must forward or print your confirmation e-mail in order to receive your grade. Thank you to those who have already completed this task!

AGENDA

Period 1 

1. Hand in homework! (If you need this poem for workshop, please hand it in by the end of class.)
2. Workshop

• If you need to workshop Bennington entries, please do!
• Please workshop any poems in progress you may have. I have lost count, but if you have been using the prompts/doing your homework, you should have plenty to work with.
• I will need to see evidence of workshop for a grade, so please do it the right way!
• NOTE: If your grade was lower than anticipated last marking period, it could be because you are not participating in the workshop portion of this class. THIS IS A WORKSHOP CLASS, DO NOT SKIP WORKSHOP TIME!
• Enter Bennington!
• Polish Poems: I would like 2-4 polished poems by the end of class on Monday.

Period 2

• Please take 2nd period to work on your group projects. At this point you should have your project proposals and guidelines written.
• You are required to have a works cited page with at least 5 sources listed complete at the end of class today. (This was originally due Tuesday.)
• I am aware that I am asking you to do a lot this week but if you stay organized, you will be successful!

HOMEWORK

1. Do you owe any work for this class? 
2. Make sure your poems are all workshopped! I will need to see evidence of workshop for a grade.
3. Complete chapter 3 titled Characterizing Place in your Poetry Writing books. I hope the exercises provided are giving you plenty of new ideas for your writing.
4. Please have your Poetry Writing books in class with you on Monday.

Have you had this blog template?

Happy Friday Seniors!

I cannot believe how fast the Bennington deadline is approaching. Have you chosen your poems? Please remember, it is a poetry, fiction, and non-fiction contest. YOU MAY SUBMIT ONE ENTRY PER CATEGORY! The poetry category is required. Choose your strongest work.

Period 1

• Did you complete your homework? I will check it at the beginning of class. Please make sure the assignment goes into your portfolio. All required poems need to be organized and labeled for the next portfolio check.
• Finish workshopping your Bennington entry (this is a group of three poems!)
• Enter the contest! If for some reason you cannot submit today, it must be done by Tuesday. See me if you need an extension.
• Show Ms. Perez proof of your entry (this is a required contest!)

Young Writers Awards 2012-2013

Students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades during the academic year are invited to submit one entry in any and/or all of the following by the November 1 deadline:

> Poetry: a group of three poems.
Poems must be typed. Each page must clearly show the author's name.

> Fiction: a short story or one-act play.
Short stories must be typed, double-spaced, and fewer than 1500 words. Scripts must be typed, double-spaced, and run no more than 30 minutes (playing time). Each page must clearly show the author's name.

> Nonfiction: a personal or academic essay.
Stories and nonfiction must be typed, double-spaced, and fewer than 1500 words. Each page must clearly show the author's name.

All entries must be original work and sponsored by a high school teacher.  Winning entries will be published under the "news & events" section on the Bennington College website by April 15. Authors retain all other copyrights. We are unable to return submissions. For more information, please call Bennington College at 800-833-6845 or email admissions@bennington.edu.

The link!
http://www.bennington.edu/youngwriterscompetition.aspx

Period 2

• If you have been losing sleep over the project, I will be clarifying some of the requirements for you today.
• You will also have time to work on the project in groups. Use this time wisely!

HOMEWORK

1. Finish up Bennington entry (submit proof of submission by Tuesday)
2. Complete Chapter 2 in Poetry Writing (pg. 7-12)
3. Catch up on any missing work (i.e. chapter one in text, project proposal, guidelines, etc.)





Poetry Writing/Projects

We will be going down to the library 1st period to pick up a text called Poetry Writing. You are welcome to drop off any books that need to be returned at that time.

When you return from the library, I would like you to work with your partners to write the guidelines for your projects. Your proposals should be done at this point. If your proposal was vague, please clarify your plans.

Stay tuned for period 2 info...
Update: You have to take your creative writing pre-assessments today. They shouldn't take long at all!

HOMEWORK

• Complete your project proposal/guidelines
• Read pgs. 1-6 of Poetry Writing
• Complete the assignment provided in the text

Marking Period 2...Lots to do!

Good Morning!

Happy first day of marking period 2. Do you like this blog template? Here is the plan today:

Period 1

• Brainstorm project ideas
• Write proposals
• Get started if there is time

Period 2

• You should have started to choose poems for Bennington.
• Workshop the poems/help each other choose
• Ask me for help, etc., etc.

If you have questions, please ask!

RAC Visit/End of MP1

First Period

Rochester Area Colleges Fall Visit

Thursday October 18, 2012

8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Gymnasium

This event is open to seniors to visit with representatives from the Rochester Area Colleges (RAC).  Please dismiss students at the following times.

            Seniors with last names beginning with A – L: 8:30 am

                                    -will return to class at 8:50 am*

            Seniors with last names beginning with M – Z: 8:50 am

                                    -will return to class at 9:15 am*

*Students will receive a pass back to class

Schools in attendance: Alfred State College, Alfred University, Finger Lakes Community College, Genesee Community College, Keuka College, Monroe Community College, Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester Institute of Technology, St. John Fisher College, SUNY Brockport, University of Rochester

 Second Period

• Enter Contests!
• Catch up (owe anything?)
• Poetry Video if time allows.

Contest Links:
www.youngarts.org
www.bennington.edu
www.gannon.edu/resource/dept/english
www.artandwriting.org/

Catch UP Day/RPO

Dearest Poets,

Many of you owe a ton of work. It is my goal for each of you to pass the marking period, but you must do the work! Here is what must be accomplished TODAY. No exceptions:

1. Any late/missing work must be turned in!
2. You must have your TWO memory poems workshopped and polished.
3. You must be caught up with your Collins reading (and post!)

*********If you are looking for extra credit please write two poems for the RPO event this weekend. You can find the pieces being played here: http://www.rpo.org/s_1/s_43/p_1387/Mahler%2C_Grieg%2C_Nakamatsu/ **********

Please remember that your participation grade is in constant flux. If you waste the time given to you and/or do work for other classes, expect that your average will drop. Many of you are right on the edge between two letter grades. I cannot guarantee you will receive the higher grade if you do not work for it.

• Please ask questions if you are unsure of something.
• If you have enjoyed the memory exercises, I have some other ideas for additional poems- just ask!

If you are all caught up, I would like you to work on your Bennington and/or Young Arts entries. Please remember that Bennington is required! The deadline is 11/1, which is fast approaching. Do not let money be an issue for avoiding Young Arts. I will work with you to make it happen.


HOMEWORK

1. Finish Collins!
2. Be prepared to write an in class reflection about the reading and/or anything we have done this marking period.

You are all doing a fantastic job! Please keep up the good work.

Love,
Ms. Perez

Homework

On Tuesday, please bring in the two poems you have been working on. Remember to have your 1st drafts, evidence of workshop, and final copies.

Please read Collins pgs. 87-134. Post a response!

Agenda

We meet 3 times before the marking period ends. Please get your missing assignments turned in today!

Here is the plan for the day:

1. Write your second poem from Wednesday's assignment. See me if the topic is not inspiring you.
2. Both poems should be done today.
3. Workshop your 2 new poems/discuss the reading from last night.
4. Polish poems/turn in any missing work.

I will be calling on people to conference with again. If you would like a progress report please ask.

Homework Due Friday, 10/12

1. Read through section 3 of Collins.
2. Post 3 thought provoking questions about the reading.
3. Complete one of the poems assigned last class.


GREAT WORK IN CLASS TODAY... Each and every one of you is doing fabulous work. You should be proud!

Personal Stories (continued)

If you completed your homework on History as Heartbeat please write a poem inspired by your research. You can write about:

• An ancestor who has always interested you
• Research historical events that took place during an ancestor's life
• Write about an incident/anecdote you learned about
• You can tell a story that has survived in your family via oral tradition
• You can focus on names, dates, etc. etc.

AND/OR

Try this exercise...
(I would like you to do both eventually)

Memory and Imagination

Memory is the source of imagination. What we think of, regardless of how imaginative or whimsical, is in one way or another based on what we know. The inventive use of memory is an integral aspect of the creative process. We all remember things differently, so the very act of reconstructing the past is always a creative one. The details we include and the details we exclude can help to form our own personal version of events.

Read

Theodore Roethle, "My Papa's Waltz"

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172103

Use an early memory for inspiration for a poem. Note how Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz" presents the speaker's memory of his father. What details help capture the child's perspective? Try to recreate similar details in your own poem. You can also write about a memory of something you couldn't possibly remember. For example:

• your grandparents' wedding
• your birth
• the creation of earth, etc., etc.

Homework Due 10/10

• Please continue to read Collins on your own. You should have started reading the 3rd section in class today.
• I would also like you to read the following information and complete the short assignment below.
• I will see you Wednesday! If you have questions please ask.

Personal Stories:
(adapted from Open Roads)
History as Heartbeat
Researching history can be a way to access the past and connect it to the present and the future. But the research has to mean something. It has to become personal. "History is your own heartbeat" as the poet Michael S. Harper says. History, especially your personal history, is a fundamental source and shaper of your ideas. So go ahead and mine it.

Read
Miller Williams, "The Curator"

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176491

Complete the following assignment for homework:

Do some personal research on your family history. Interview family members and record what you hear in a journal. You will use this information as inspiration for a poem in the future. Come to class prepared! This assignment leads to the lesson I have planned for Wednesday :)

Random Connections/Word Tickets

Participants break into groups of two.  Without consulting each other, one person should come up with a "Why?"  The other should come up with a "because".  Some of the links work beautifully.  Others are bizarre, but they might work even more beautifully.

Try the exercise with if/then and I used to/but now.

Some examples:

Why do I see the things in your eyes?
Because the TV is on.

Why do I have to grow up.
Because you broke it.

I used to be afraid of the dark,
But now I can't see a thing.

I used to fall in love at the drop of a pin,
But now I sleep with my eyes open.


WORD Tickets
On the back of the tickets write some wonderful words for poetry:
Provocative nouns, crackling verbs, resplendent adjectives,  etc.
Place the tickets in the basket.  Draw out 10 new tickets and try to use them in a poem!
REMINDERS!

*Don't forget you have polished poems due today. Make sure everything is labeled and dated.

*If you finish your work, please read the next section of Collins in groups.

*Next week I will be requesting new poems- some of which should be reflective of the prompts provided. Please keep that in mind.

Agenda

1. Please take some time in your groups to discuss the poetry you read for homework.
2. Continue to workshop your poems in progress.
3. I would like you to have 3-5 polished poems in your portfolios by Friday, 10/5
4. I did not post another poetry prompt because Monday's was so long. Please remember that it should be evident that you have worked with/attempted some or all of the prompts provided in this class.

*Remember to continue to find new people to workshop with. The more perspectives you get on your work the better!

Homework:

Don't forget about the fast approaching deadlines for the writing contests posted. If you are planning to enter the Western NY Essay contest, please bring in your essay next class. 

www.FestivalforFreedom.com
The deadline is October 8th! $1,000 prize is available.

Bennington: November 1st deadline!
http://www.bennington.edu/youngwriterscompetition.aspx

Poetry Prompts

Poetry Writing Exercises from The Poetry Resource Page www.poetryresourcepage.com/teach/pex.html

WRITING EXERCISES: POETRY

Alliteration Exercise Make a list of twenty phrases that use alliteration, such as the sun settled on the south hill with sudden color. Pick two or three of these phrases and try to build images around them. Use at least one of these images in a poem. Body Exercise Make a list of fifteen physical experiences that you’ve had, such as falling out of a tree, riding a roller coaster, or jumping on a trampoline. Choose one from your list and use images to create a lyric poem about the experience. (by Jay Klokker, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Body Part Exercise Write a poem addressed to a particular body part. Make sure you maintain a consistent tone and focus. Childhood Exercise Try to remember everything you can about a particular event that occurred when you were a child. In can be any type of experience, now matter how insignificant. Make a list of all the details you can remember. Once you’ve finished your list, build a narrative poem around it. Keep in mind that you don’t have to be faithful to the past. You can change details, descriptions, or actions if the change will make the poem work better. Circular Poem Write a short poem that begins and ends with the same line. The reader should feel differently about the line the second time around because of what has happened in the poem. Confession Exercise Write a poem in which you confess to a crime you didn’t commit. You can create the circumstances – perhaps you’re talking to a priest, or you’re being interrogated by police. Turn your confession into a narrative poem in which you describe the events leading up to your crime. Construction Exercise Write a poem in which you literally build or take apart something for the reader. Describe each step of the process for the reader, incorporating technical terms and descriptions of materials. Create a lyric or narrative poem that “shows” the reader how it’s done. (by Deborah Digges, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Crime Exercise Write a “confession” poem detailing an emotional crime and how you committed it. ORWrite a poem in the voice of a murderer. Make the reader sympathetic to the murderer. Death Exercise Freewrite about the first experience with death you can remember, whether it involved a person or an animal. Then freewrite about your most recent experience with death. Combine the details, memories, and images from the two into a lyric or narrative poem. Dream Exercise Many people have recurring dreams – of flying, of being chased, of being in a particular location or situation. Write a poem about such a dream that uses repetition to capture its obsessive nature. Try to repeat fragments rather than simply initial words or complete sentences; let the repetition interrupt the flow of the dream-story. Dying Exercise Write a poem in which you speak after your own death. In it, describe what death looks and feels like. Describe how it feels to be conscious at the time of death, what your emotions are. Give advice to the living about how they should face death. Elegy Exercise Using the third person, write an elegy poem for yourself, imaging that you’ve just died at the age of ninety. Include a description of yourself, and things that you would like to be remembered for/by. You may want to include places you’ve been, inventions you’ve created, famous people you’ve met, your talent for singing or dancing or cooking, your favorite book or movie or color, where you had your first kiss, what you did for a living, how many times you were married, how many children you had, all the states or countries you’ve lived in, etc. Endless Exercise Write a poem of about thirty lines that consists of a single sentence. Experiment with clauses and phrases and parallel structure. Try to keep the sentence moving forward, enjambing it across lines in different ways, while making sure it is grammatically correct. This type of exercise will help you develop flexibility as a writer, teaching you new ways to phrase things and new ways to play with the syntax of a line. (by Richard Jackson, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Erotic Exercise Brainstorm a list of everyday activities, such as washing the dishes, chopping vegetables, mowing the lawn, going grocery shopping, etc. Choose one and describe it in precise detail, focusing on every action it requires, all the little sensory moments involved. Take all of these details and images and use them to write a lyric poem in which you make some everyday experience sound erotic. ORChoose a landscape to describe. It can be any kind of landscape, but try something nontraditional – a junkyard or an empty parking lot. Use your descriptions and images to write a lyric poem in which you make the landscape seem erotic. Good and Evil Exercise The traditional imagery for good and evil is light and dark, white and black. Brainstorm a list of images called up by the two opposites. Then write a poem that reverses traditional expectations. In other words, write a poem about what is beautiful or inspiring about the dark, or a poem about what is awful or terrifying about the daylight. Fairy Tale Exercise Write a lyric poem in which you adopt the persona of a character from a fairy tale. For example, you could describe the way Snow White feels while she sleeps inside her coffin, or how the Prince feels as he holds Cinderella’s glass slipper in his hand. False Memory Exercise Write a poem in which you “remember” something that never happened. Use strong sensory images to convince the reader it really happened. Family Exercise Write a poem in which you adopt the persona of a parent or grandparent. Write the poem in the form of a letter addressed to your significant other. Describe your feelings for this person, the way they look and smell, memories that you have of them, where or how you met, etc. Fear Exercise Think of something you were afraid of as a child. Write a poem in which you describe what it was and how it made you feel. You can write from the point of view of an older person looking back on it, or you can write from the point of view of the child you once were. Field Guide Exercise Read the descriptions in a book of natural history or a field guide, such as a guide to birds, mushrooms, or wildflowers. Write a poem about a plant, bird, rock, animal, or fish from the book. Incorporate information from the book in the poem to help the reader identify your subject. First Line Exercise Take one line from a poem of your own that is unfinished or a poem by another poet. It does not matter where the line occurs in the poem, but you want to select the best line from the poem. Use this line as the first line of a new poem. Try to maintain the same quality of sound, language and thought that the first line presents. (by Stephen Dunn, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Foreign Objects Exercise Many poems arise out of everyday life – something you may have walked or driven by a hundred times and suddenly noticed for the first time. Part of learning to write poetry is learning to look around and observe both the ordinary and the unusual. Exercise: Spend half an hour walking around outside (on campus or in a parking lot, for example). Pay attention to the objects you see. Make a list of five “foreign objects” (such as a Band-aid stuck to a stop sign or a scarf hanging from a tree). Once you’ve made your list, try to imagine the story behind the object – how it ended up where you found it. Build a narrative poem around the object. ORDescribe the scene in great detail – the landscape surrounding the object, then the object itself. Build a lyric poem around the object. Function Exercise Choose one object in your room and make a list of all of the ways you could use it, or all of the things you could do with it. For example, a glass can be used to drink from, to pour from, to collect rain water, to turn upside town and catch a fly under, etc. Turn your list of functions into a lyric poem, using the object as the title. (by Jack Myers, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Gesture Exercise Spend twenty minutes observing people in a public place. Make a list of the gestures that people make, no matter how subtle. For example, the way a child twirls her hair around a finger, or the way a woman tucks loose strands of hair behind one ear. Choose one gesture and describe its motions in great detail. Build a poem around this moment and what you think it tells you about the person. God Exercise Write a poem to God. Make it a tirade, a complaint, a request. ORWrite a poem as God. Let God explain, refute, deny, defend. ORWrite a poem in which God is a traffic cop, a new anchor, a porn star, a grocery clerk. Hands-on Exercise Choose half a dozen small objects from around the house (like a fork, a toothbrush, or a stapler). Close your eyes and run your hands over each object. Write a description of what the object feels like, and how you think it looks. Use metaphor and simile to compare the feel or shape of the object to something else. When you have written descriptions for each of the objects, choose one to write a poem about. Describe the poem in such a way that a blind person could tell what it looks like. History Exercise The poet James Merrill wrote “we understand history through the family around the table.” Think about ways your own family’s story overlaps with the story of others – a historical event, an ethnic group, a social issue. Write a poem about someone in your family and how his or her story is related to history. (based on an exercise by David Wojahn, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Home Exercise Think about your childhood home, recalling the inside (hallways, rooms, closets, etc.) and the outside (the front yard, back yard, trees, swing sets, etc.). Focus on a place inside or out that was special to you. Describe the time you spent there, the things you did, the discoveries you made, the emotions you felt, why you went there, etc. Imitation Exercise Find a contemporary poem that you admire. Write a poem in which you imitate the style, tone, theme, sentence structure, etc. of the original poem. You may want to borrow the poem’s first line and use it to write a poem of your own. You may want to write on a similar topic – a childhood memory, describing an everyday object, providing a narrative for a photograph, etc. Inanimate Object Exercise Choose one inanimate object in your room. Describe what it looks like, and describe the room around it. When you’ve finished your descriptions, write a poem in which you adopt the persona of the inanimate object: what does it think, what does it feel, what does it look out at day after day after day, etc. Interior Monologue Exercise Write a poem in which you adopt the persona of someone famous (they can be dead or alive). Imagine this person sitting alone, looking out over the Grand Canyon at sunrise, reflecting on his or her life. Write a poem in which you convey this person’s character through his or her internal thoughts. Isolation Exercise Write a description pf one particular element of a set. For example, you can describe one book on a shelf, one face in a crowd, one bird on a telephone line, etc. Try to describe both the characteristics of the group/set, and to distinguish what makes the one member you’re focusing on different from the others. Turn your description into a lyric poem. (by Michael Pettit, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Landscape Exercise Go somewhere scenic – to a park or a lake, for example. Describe the landscape that surrounds you using sight, sound, smell, and tactile images. Build a lyric poem out of these images. ORGo somewhere urban – downtown Chicago or St. Louis, for example. Describe the landscape of the city using sight, sound, smell, and tactile images. Build a lyric poem out of these images. Letter Exercise Write a poem in the form of a letter to someone who is dead. In it, make a confession about something you did to them when they were still alive. ORWrite a poem in the form of a letter imagining that you are dead. In it, tell them something you meant to tell them while you were still alive. (based on an exercise by Robin Behn, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Life or Death Exercise Write a lyric poem in which you describe yourself being born. Describe what it feels like inside the birth canal, what it feels like as you push your way out, what you see, smell, hear or taste, etc. ORWrite a lyric poem in which you describe the moment of your death. Describe how you feel as you take your last breath. Describe the last thing you see, hear, touch, taste, smell or feel. Describe who is with you, where you’re at, etc. Metaphor Exercise Take something negative about yourself – an abstract concept, like fear, depression, hatred, loneliness, or cruelty – and find a concrete image for what it feels like. Maybe it feels like a weight pressing down on your, like walking down a dark street at night, or waking up in an abandoned house. Once you decide on a topic and an image, draw out the image in a lyric poem with the topic as your title. Newspaper Exercise Read the newspaper. Pick one story from the paper, and write a poem in which you take on the persona of someone involved in the story. Write a narrative poem in which you tell the story from that person’s point of view. (based on an exercise by Mary Swander, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Opening Lines Exercise Below are the opening lines from some short stories and novels. Pick one that interests you and see what kind of poem it generates: Come into my cell. Make yourself at home. Night fell. The darkness was thin, like some sleazy dress that has been worn and worn. There is an evil moment on awakening when all things seem to pause. It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. “Notice the sensuous curve of the breast.” God help me. She lay in the dark and cried. The big house was still, almost empty. (from Writing Poems , Robert Wallace and Michelle Boisseau, eds.) Personals Exercise Write a persona poem in which you take on the personality of an older, single adult of the opposite gender. Write a poem in the form of a personals ad in which you describe yourself and your interests, and then describe the type of man or woman you would be interested in dating. Personification Exercise Look around your bedroom, kitchen, living room, or bathroom. Make a list of objects that seem to have moods or personalities. Choose five of them and create a description of each one’s personality or mood. Pick one of your descriptions and build a poem around it. Pet Exercise Write a persona poem from the point-of-view of your pet. Describe your environment, your day-to-day activities, the food you eat, where you sleep, where you use the restroom, the toys you play with, what you think about, the way your owner behaves, etc. Photograph Exercise Look through an old family album. Find a picture that you’re not in and write a lyric poem that describes the person and/or scene. ORLook through a book of historical photographs. Write a lyric or narrative poem based on the person and/or scene. Picturing Exercise Think of someone in your family, imagining them doing something they typically do – like, your mother gardening or your brother sketching pictures under a tree. Freeze them there in your mind in an “imaginary” photograph. Describe the photograph as if it were real, using the details to reveal something about this person’s character. Piece by Piece Exercise Write a poem in which you describe an object – not in its entirety – but piece by piece. Do not say what the object is. Let the individual parts explain the whole. Language Play Exercise Make a list of twenty phrases in which you use words as different parts of speech, such as he turned to me with a shadowing stare or her kisses purpled his flesh. Once you’ve made your list, choose one phrase to build a lyric or narrative poem around. Reflection Exercise Look at yourself in a mirror for as long as you can stand it. Describe yourself in as much detail as possible. Build a poem around your own reflection: the way your body changes over time, the small details of your face that no one notices, the reality of “facing” yourself, etc. Repulsion Exercise Make a list of things you find repulsive – the smell of garbage, fast food employees, people who never shut up, etc. Choose one and write a poem in which you describe that person, place or thing in such a way that it becomes beautiful. Sandwich Exercise Find a short lyric poem you really like and type it on your computer, leaving three blank lines between each line of the poem. Print it out. In the spaces between each line, fill in a new line of your own that seems like it would sound right following the line original line before it. Once you have filled in all the spaces with lines of your own, cross out all the typed lines from the original poem. Revise the poem using only the lines that you have written. (by J. D. McClatchy, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Scene Exercise Sit in one place for fifteen minutes and write down everything you observe about the place: sights, sounds, smells, feelings, colors, temperature, lighting, etc. Once you have a complete description, create a poem that develops a scene through a series of images. Scissors Exercise Take a poem that you’ve been working on but have been unable to get “to work.” Type it up, double-spaced, and print it out. Cut it into pieces – cutting so that phrases and chunks of sound or sense stay together. Throw away any extra parts, then take all of the “pieces” and try rearranging them in different orders. Add whatever you need, and keep moving things around until it “works.” (by Chase Twichell, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Secondhand Memory Exercise Talk with your parents or someone else who would know about your childhood. Try to find out something you didn’t know about yourself and then write about it as if you remembered it. Sexual Metaphor Exercise THE GROUNDFALL PEAR Jane Hirshfield It is the one he chooses, yellow, plump, a little bruised on one side from falling. That place he takes first. Using Hirshfield’s poem as a model, write a short (4-5 line) lyric poem that is a metaphor for sex, desire, or love. Shame Exercise Write a poem about an experience that caused you to feel a sense of shame. Shape Exercise Sit in one room and make a list of descriptions of various objects and their shapes. Try to be as exact as possible, and to make the description of the different shapes distinct. Meditate on the shape and form of objects. Try to build a poem around one or the objects, a particular shape, or the idea of form. Suspense Exercise Write a poem in which you withhold the subject and verb for as long as possible; begin with a preposition or adverb, then pile up the phrases and clauses. Syllabic Exercise Write a poem that is composed of only one-syllable words, or a poem that alternates between one and two-syllable words. Voice Exercise Write a poem in which you take on the voice of one of the following: A used napkin A scalpel A turtle turned upside down by a group of children A washing machine A framed photograph A ceiling fan An unopened letter A remote control Widow Exercise Write a poem in the voice of a widow whose husband has drowned. Invent any story you like about how this happened – he was a fisherman who was washed overboard in a storm or he was in a boat that capsized. Imagine that the widow, who now hates water, is forced to confront it due to circumstances beyond her control. Perhaps she goes to visit a friend who lives by a lake, or she must jump in a pool to save a child who has fallen in. Write a poem in which you adopt the persona of the widow. In her voice, describe what you see and feel as you look out at the water. (by Maura Stanton, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.) Window Exercise Write a poem describing a scene outside your window. Do this even if your window faces a brick wall or a boring landscape; use your imagination to make it interesting. Word List Exercise Writing poetry teaches you to experience language in new ways, and the most important thing that you can do as a writer is to develop a relationship with words – to look at them individually, to learn how to see and hear and taste and feel the different textures of each word, and then to learn ways to weave words together into poems. Exercise: Make a list of twenty-five of the most beautiful/sensual/or poetic words you can think of. (For example, some of my favorite words are: obsidian, wisp, hollow, trickle, iridescent, and flicker.) If you can’t think of any off the top of your head, flip through the dictionary. Once you have your list of words, pick one to try to build a poem around. The word can be the title of your poem, part of an image, central to a narrative, or just a word in a line.

Happy Monday!

Agenda

1. Word of the week
2. Pass back work/discuss expectations for work
3. Poetry Prompt
4. Workshop time

*YOU MUST WORKSHOP WITH SOMEONE NEW. If you have been working with one other person, you could merge with another pair...

Homework: Read pgs 23-43 of Collins (Should already be done.)
                    Choose 1-2 poems to comment on. Post on the blog. Respond to each other.

*You will need 3-5 workshopped/polished poems by Friday.

Sailing Alone Around the Room Group Discussion

Some questions to discuss:

1. How can a title change the impact of a poem? Which of the poems you read stand out in this regard? Would you change any titles?

2. Favorite poem(s)? What exactly did you like?

3. Poem(s) you disliked? Why exactly?

4. What do you notice about the author's style?

 
When looking at a specific poem you might want to ask yourself:
(writinghood.com)

1.          Who is speaking? What do you know about him/her?
2.          What is being said?
3.          How is it said?
4.          Where does the poem take place? Where was it written?
5.          When does the poem take place? When was it written?
6.          Why? This question should be asked lastly, because if we bog ourselves down with the why while we are reading or just after reading, then we might create meanings that are not intended…or come away lacking understanding or enjoyment of the poem…which may cause us to judge it negatively…or abort further interest in it…causing us to be less open to other poems.


Read more: http://writinghood.com/online-writing/six-questions-to-ask-after-reading-a-poem/#ixzz27fiWiP00

HOMEWORK

For Thursday, 9/27:

• 4-5 Poems in progress (past due)
• Edit/improve work returned to you today. Remember no grade means it was an automatic D. Do what you need to do to raise your grades.
• Read the first section of Sailing Alone Around the Room (p.1-18) Please read carefully/thoroughly. I assigned less pages because I am looking for quality. Don't just breeze over the reading.
• Please post a reaction/response to the reading on the blog.

Agenda

1. "Business"

• Do you have any work to hand in?
• Passing back assignments

2. Read/Discuss: Hope by Shirley Kaufman

3. Quiz!

4. Library

Good morning. As you can see I'm out sick today. Please do the following for credit:

Period 1: workshop the poems you were asked to bring in for credit. Revise and hand in if you have time.

Period 2:

Creating a Word Bank for PoetryGo to the following website:http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180

Read poems #1-7. If you have looked at these poems before, please find poems that you haven't read. As you read, choose 3 words from EACH poem and make a list. (The best way to do this is either in your journal – where you will get credit; or you may keep a word document open and minimized on the bottom of your screen to collect the words).
Choose interesting or “powerful” words—words that draw YOUR attention; the best 3 single words in the poem. Avoid phrases.

Once you have a list with 21 words, use your word bank to create a poem of your own.
• You DO NOT have to use all 21 words in your poem.
• Your poem should make sense. Try to avoid sentence fragments. (Consider your character, setting, theme, conflict, etc. to help write a story...yes, even poetry has a story.)
• You may include as many OTHER words as you’d like.

Please hand in all of your work by the end of class. We will have our quiz Tuesday.

Good Morning!

I have been spending a great deal of time reading your completed work thus far. I think you are all doing a fabulous job. Keep it up!

Agenda

1. Discuss/revise the homework. I realize now the "short bio" portion was not clear.
2. Small groups: present poets/poems
3. Workshop poems brought to class.
4. More writing time!

*You will have a quiz on Friday! You will also need 4-5 "poems in progress" on Friday.

HOMEWORK

Introduction
In this class you will learn many poetic terms and write a great deal of your own poetry.  However, there is still something to be learned by looking at the works of the "masters" of poetry.  What techniques and skills do they use?  What makes their particular styles unique?  How do they accomplish the difficult task of writing moving and meaningful poetry using the same tools that you have been using?

Task
Select a poet of your choice.  After reading and researching some of the poems by that poet, write a 1-2 page response examining what makes the works of that poet unique. You are also welcome to provide interesting biographical information, but please avoid copying and pasting from online sources. This should be an authentic learning experience.

Process:
1.Select a poet of your choice.
2. Select 2-3 poems that are representative of your poet.
3. Write a short bio of the poet and response to their work (see task.)
4. Write your own poem using something you learned about your poet. (Please develop your poems fully!)

*I have added to the requirements of this assignment. Please share that information with your fellow classmates so they are prepared for class on Wednesday. Thank you!

Line Breaking

You are supposed to have a few polished poems with you today.

Step 1: Take a look at your poems and read/think about the information below. Jot down anything you happen to notice in your notebooks.

Line breaking:

Speed:  Short or long?  Enjambed or end-stopped?

Sound:  Rhyme emphasized?  Emphasize or de-emphasize rhythm?

Syntax:  Does the poem have line breaks that are compatible with its syntactical units?  Where are prepositions placed--at the beginning or end?  If the line breaks are unconventional, what is the effect?

Surprise: When a line breaks at an unexpected place, what is the effect?  What is the strongest position for a word?

Sense: Do the line breaks add to the overall meaning or sense of the poem?  Do they further its argument (logical or sound sense)?

Space:  Do the line breaks represent the timing of the poem?  What do you gather about the poem based on its appearance?  Does the creation of stanzas organize the space of the poem?

Step 2: Read this fabulous poem!  Ask Me

Some time when the river is ice ask me mistakes I have made. Ask me whether what I have done is my life. Others have come in their slow way into my thought, and some have tried to help or to hurt: ask me what difference their strongest love or hate has made. I will listen to what you say. You and I can turn and look at the silent river and wait. We know the current is there, hidden; and there are comings and goings from miles away that hold the stillness exactly before us. What the river says, that is what I say. William Stafford  Step 3: Reactions to Stafford's poem? Post! Step 4: If time permits, write a poem to work with on the Baggage Switch Exercise. You may also use a poem you have already written. The experience should be valuable and authentic.

Step 5: Baggage Switch Exercise:

Make a list of all the verbs used in one of your poems.

Swap your list with a partner.

Replace the verbs in your poem with some verbs from the list you receive.  You can change the tense and number.

DO NOT MERELY CHOOSE SYNONYMS.  LOOK FOR SURPRISING JUXTAPOSITIONS.  FOCUS ON WORD CHOICE (DICTION)!

Step 6: Turn in all homework!

Possible quiz Friday or Tuesday. Any information presented in class is fair game.

Assignments!

Due Monday, 9/17: 2-3 Polished/Portfolio ready poems+Evidence of workshop discussions (notes, google docs, etc. accepted.)

Past Due: 9/7- 1st poem and blog name
                       1st blog post (classwork)

                9/11- 1st Ekphrastic poem
                       - Notes on "The Dance" (classwork)

                9/13- New Poem (ekphrastic or not) and 2 drafts of 1st ekphrastic poem
                         -Blog post/discussion (classwork)


If you need clarity on any of these assignments, please ask!

Dear Poets,

I came across a note written to me by my own poetry teacher, Jack Ridl, around this time a few years back. I wanted to pass some of his words on to you because I think they are relevant for our class and reflective on the anniversary of 9/11, which we acknowledged on Tuesday:

"Yes, It is September 11, an event that has marked us all. And while we remember it, let's also remind ourselves that while it can be good to do good and good to combat what destroys the good, it is also crucial that we continue to create good. We are creative beings. We arrived with that as a given. And when you create a poem, you have placed good into the world... We artists are questioned over and over again about our "usefulness." We are vitally useful. Our use is to heal, comfort, to lead to realization, to bring laughter, to sing the blues, to celebrate, to be of soul-filling USE. This is a great good thing we do.

The Christmas after 9/11 Sharon Dolin, Billy Collins, and I were asked to read our poems in NYC. Can you imagine how we felt? What could we possibly do to be of any "use"? We told those present that we would do what we could to give them two hours for their hearts, souls. And that's all we could do. After the reading, the audience stayed and stayed and said how much that two hours mattered."

I hope you know how much your poems matter!
We are going to take a look at a poem or two by Billy Collins today.

Some bio information:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/billy-collins#poet

Video of Collins reading "Names" and reflecting on 9/11
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/features/video/301

You can listen to "Workshop" here:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19755

You can read here:

 Workshop

By Billy Collins b. 1941 Billy Collins

I might as well begin by saying how much I like the title.   

It gets me right away because I’m in a workshop now   

so immediately the poem has my attention,

like the Ancient Mariner grabbing me by the sleeve.

And I like the first couple of stanzas,

the way they establish this mode of self-pointing

that runs through the whole poem

and tells us that words are food thrown down   

on the ground for other words to eat.   

I can almost taste the tail of the snake   

in its own mouth,

if you know what I mean.

But what I’m not sure about is the voice,

which sounds in places very casual, very blue jeans,   

but other times seems standoffish,

professorial in the worst sense of the word

like the poem is blowing pipe smoke in my face.   

But maybe that’s just what it wants to do.

What I did find engaging were the middle stanzas,   

especially the fourth one.

I like the image of clouds flying like lozenges   

which gives me a very clear picture.

And I really like how this drawbridge operator   

just appears out of the blue

with his feet up on the iron railing

and his fishing pole jigging—I like jigging—

a hook in the slow industrial canal below.

I love slow industrial canal below. All those l’s.

Maybe it’s just me,

but the next stanza is where I start to have a problem.   

I mean how can the evening bump into the stars?   

And what’s an obbligato of snow?

Also, I roam the decaffeinated streets.

At that point I’m lost. I need help.

The other thing that throws me off,

and maybe this is just me,

is the way the scene keeps shifting around.   

First, we’re in this big aerodrome

and the speaker is inspecting a row of dirigibles,   

which makes me think this could be a dream.   

Then he takes us into his garden,

the part with the dahlias and the coiling hose,   

though that’s nice, the coiling hose,

but then I’m not sure where we’re supposed to be.   

The rain and the mint green light,

that makes it feel outdoors, but what about this wallpaper?   

Or is it a kind of indoor cemetery?

There’s something about death going on here.

In fact, I start to wonder if what we have here   

is really two poems, or three, or four,   

or possibly none.

But then there’s that last stanza, my favorite.

This is where the poem wins me back,

especially the lines spoken in the voice of the mouse.

I mean we’ve all seen these images in cartoons before,

but I still love the details he uses

when he’s describing where he lives.

The perfect little arch of an entrance in the baseboard,   

the bed made out of a curled-back sardine can,   

the spool of thread for a table.

I start thinking about how hard the mouse had to work   

night after night collecting all these things

while the people in the house were fast asleep,   

and that gives me a very strong feeling,

a very powerful sense of something.

But I don’t know if anyone else was feeling that.   

Maybe that was just me.

Maybe that’s just the way I read it.

Billy Collins, “Workshop” from The Art of Drowning. Copyright © 1995 by Billy Collins. All rights are controlled by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Reprinted with the permission of the University of Pittsburgh Press, www.pitt.edu/~press/.

Buy or borrow this book:

Source: The Art of Drowning (1995)

Please post a reaction to the information/poems provided today and/or the value of workshopping our own poems in this class. Develop your thoughts and respond to others in order tio receive full credit!