University of Southern Mississippi
Instructor: Allison Campbell
allison.campbell@eagles.usm.edu
Office: Libral Arts Building, 338
English 222, LIB Rm 205
Mon./Wed./Fri. 1:00-1:50
Office hours: Mondays 11-1:00
or by appointment
Introduction to Poetry Writing
English 222 - Spring 2016
English 222 is an introductory poetry workshop with an emphasis on good writing as intense seeing. We are setting out to do the work of poetry as Mark Doty describes it, “To find accurate words, or, more ambitiously, terms commensurate with the clamoring world.” No previous experience is required. You are alive in the world; this satisfies all prerequisites. To download a PDF of the course syllabus, click here.
Course Description:
We often think of the writer as someone very creative. After all, the etymology of the word poem comes from the Greek poema, literally “thing made or created.” But this thing being made or created by the writer, what is it created from? What is it made with? This course aims to answer these questions, through class discussion, selected readings and critical examination of student writing. Together we will consider both the content of poems (subject matter) and the poet’s concerns (sound, line, form, diction, tone, voice, imagery). Regardless of personal taste, creative work will be discussed by criteria pertinent to literary merit; mainly, technique will be at the heart of discussions, rather than personal taste. Working toward an objective stance to poetry, both others’ and your own, is one of the major aims of this course.
Required Materials:
The Art of Description: World into Word, Mark Doty
A Poetry Handbook: A prose guide to understanding and writing poetry, Mary Oliver
Regular access to the internet to complete assignments and download materials from our course website: http://allisoncampbell8.wix.com/eng222 and our Blackboard companion site at: usm.blackboard.com
Course Objectives:
In ENG 222 you will:
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Explore the creative process of writing poetry
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Gain understanding of the poet’s tools
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Expand & refine vocabulary & style resources
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Learn how to critique (and be critiqued) constructively
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Prepare a portfolio of original poems and a selection of 3-5 poems you think Mary Oliver or Mark Doty would choose to publish
Course Organization:
Weekly classes will be divided into craft and workshop sessions. Mondays will be devoted to discussions on craft, assigned readings from Doty, Oliver, and Best American Poetry 2015, and in-class writing exercises. Wednesdays and Fridays are workshop days. Each week, you will either have a poem workshopped or serve as primary responder to one of your peers’ poems (see schedule here).