Poetry Workshop

This creative writing class will operate like a
conventional workshop in which student-writers
produce works-in-progress to offer for group
critique. In a supportive environment, we will
give constructive criticism to each other in order
to become better revisers and readers of our own
work. We will also engage with a variety of
assigned readings, from mostly modern and
contemporary writers, that will act as
springboards for our creative endeavors. To
paraphrase T.S. Eliot-immature artists borrow,
mature artists steal. This presupposes that mature
writing stems from a strategic reading life. We
will pay equal attention to both terms in the
phrase "creative writing"-considering prompts that
can spark new drafts and ideas while also adhering
to the technical, formal, and rhetorical
principles of writing that will ensure rigorous
execution. Requirements include consistent
attendance and participation, weekly writing
assignments, and a final portfolio of revised and
polished work.