English 41: Poetry Writing Workshop, Spring '99

Shelley Reid, Austin College

Standard Operating Procedures, Poetry Workshop

Please read all instructions before attempting to operate your workshop.

Tools Required for Assembly (Four Books Total):

• Contemporary American Poetry (Hall)
• Ecstatic Occasions, Expedient Forms (Lehman)
• Poetry Handbook (Deutsch) or The Practice of Poetry (Behn & Twichell)
• The Morrow Book of Younger American Poets (Smith & Bottoms) orThe Language of Life (Moyers)
• Notebooks or folders (please refrain from employing huge spirals, mammoth binders, or plastic sheaths) as necessary to collect your poetry and journal assignments.

About The Functions of Your Poetry Workshop

Features: This workshop is designed to provide you with time and encouragement to develop your skills as a writer and reader of poetry. Since no two people will use this workshop in exactly the same way, or complete the same goals, individuals will design their own learning contracts (see Appendix 1) to guide their progress.

Group workshops -- time spent commenting on drafts of student-written poetry -- will emphasize specific and constructive critiques of individual poems. Participants will be expected to treat all submissions and authors with respect. Authors should use the workshops to gather feedback and ideas for revising specific poems and developing styles in general. Class members will submit six poems, in alternate weeks, to the full-group workshop.

Peer support groups of three or four students will meet each class period to discuss work-in-progress that is not being submitted to the whole group. Submissions to peer groups may include incomplete poems, revisions of earlier work, reviews/analyses of published poems, or other journal-type exercises. These are informal groups and may be configured to match the needs of individual members. Writing submitted to peer support groups will not be submitted to the instructor except (if desired) as part of an overall journal assignment. Class members will submit drafts to peer groups at least six times, alternating with presentations to the full group.

Sometimes poetry is much more a private act, requiring time for a reader's thoughtful reflection, and provoking direct communication between a single reader and a single author. To satisfy that need, you will by Week 5 be assigned a Poet Partner. Whenever your assigned partner turns a poem in to the large group, you should prepare a brief but thorough written comment (75-150 words minimum) on that poem to give to the author, on the authorÕs draft and/or on a separate sheet of paper. Please try to comment and provide specific suggestions on several features of the poem: structure, language, imagery, meaning, sound, tone, balance, approach, etc. You may include a draft of this comment as part of your journal writings. You will be assigned a poet partner who is somewhat compatible with you as a poet and who will also challenge you as a respondent.

Since poets are always people who read poetry, each class will begin with an analytical presentation by one or more students on a published poem. Presenters will choose a poem that particularly "speaks" to them, provide photocopies for class members if itÕs not in the common anthology, and provide a 6-10 minute reading of the poemÕs highlights and unique achievements. Each student will present and analyze one published poem.

Since poets are most especially people who write (about) poetry, students will keep a journal of their written work. Journals will involve both "creative" and "analytical" work; see Appendix 2 for required and suggested exercises. The length and focus of the journal will be a key part of each studentÕs learning contract; a minimum of 5-7 "quality" pages per week is suggested. The journal assignments may be collected in a notebook or pocket folder; they may be typed and/or hand-written; they may include work turned in for other class assignments. Each student will turn in two sets of journal assignments.

Finally, since poets are members of a larger community, they have a responsibility to present work to the public. Weekly efforts by groups involved in the Poetry Goes Public project will help make this happen. A semester-end poetry reading will provide all writers with a forum for their work. Students will present at least one complete poem in a public forum.

Evaluation: Attendance is required. Final grades will be based upon completion of the requirements outlined above (submissions to workshops and peer groups, analytical presentation, journal assignments, public presentation), as well as on specific fulfillment of the learning contract. A final portfolio featuring your revised poems will be collected at the end of the semester. Active, thoughtful, and respectful participation in class activities will also contribute significantly to the final grade. Grades will be determined based on both achievement and effort; the balance of these factors may vary according to student or assignment.

General Operating Instructions

To Submit a Poem for the Group Workshop (Alternate Weeks):

• Type or computer print your poem, with a title if you wish one. Do not put your name on the poem. Indicate at top or bottom whether you wish to receive a Hot, Medium, or Mild reading from your peers.
• Make 15 copies of the anonymous poem (includes one for yourself).
• By Tuesday Noon, deliver the copies to Sherman Hall.

To Prepare for Participation in the Group Workshop (each week):

• Stop by Sherman Hall to gather poems for review, Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday.
• Give yourself some time before class to read each poem carefully.
• Feel free to mark or comment on the poems themselves as you read. Try to strike a balance between acknowledging your own tastes & preferences, and attempting to understand what the writer was aiming for. Note specific strengths, questions, and recommendations.
• If you are generally quiet during class discussions, or are inspired to respond, you may provide written feedback to the author on a separate sheet of paper.
• You should keep these poems for reference as the semester goes on.

To Present a Published Poem to the Class (once per semester):

• Bring 7-8 photocopies of the poem to class.
• Read the poem to the class. (Practice this beforehand for best effect.)
• Provide an analysis of the poemÕs highlights and features. You may discuss issues of form (sound, structure, metaphor, organization) and/or suggest interpretive conclusions; you may focus primarily on your own reaction as a reader or take a more general view. Regardless, you should attempt to reach a balance between conveying your personal enthusiasm and explaining with a more critical eye just exactly what choices the poet has made that you admire. If you wish to refer to biographical or critical information, you may certainly do so, but the main emphasis should remain on the poem itself, and what practicing poets can learn from it about their craft.
• This is not a fully formal presentation, but it should be clearly organized and supported with references to the poem. Some care should also be taken to speak clearly and focus outward to the rest of the class during the presentation; reading directly from a script is strongly discouraged. The strongest presentations will not only inform but also engage the class community in thought or discussion.

To Workshop a Poem in Full Group: Protocols

• A volunteer (not the author) or two will read the poem to the group, since poetry is meant to be heard as well as seen.
• During the first round of comments, the author will make no public response, since the poem must first stand on its own as an overture to communication. The author may and should take notes toward later comments.
• Respondents may both praise and make suggestions about the poem
• Comments must be phrased respectfully, should refer to specific pieces of the poem, and should give examples of how changes could be made. Respondents are encouraged to focus on "I-statements" if they cannot quite put their finger on what impresses or concerns them. Respondents should not directly seek out the authorÕs opinion during the first round, though they may raise general questions.
• During the second round (time to be determined by the group or the instructor), the author will be invited first to read their own poem and then, if they wish, to respond to comments and questions. Authors, of course, should treat all comments and questions -- and the people who make them -- with respect.

To Run a Peer Support Group: Some Possible Protocols

• Class members should submit a piece of writing to their Peer Support Groups for consideration during any class meeting at which they are not having a poem considered by the full group. Members may specify questions or difficulties to which they would like response. Additional submissions are optional.
• Members should agree on a way to exchange drafts, revisions, or other written pieces (whole or fragments) before each class meeting. Agree on "deadlines." You may use the Sherman Hall drop off point, campus mail, or some other method.
• Members should review all draft materials before class.
• Members may provide written "formative" feedback, designed to encourage exploration and consideration: note strong points, ask questions, brainstorm "what if?" possibilities, suggest alternate viewpoints or styles, respond to the writer's stated concerns, if any, etc.
• During class, members may provide verbal feedback to each group member, and return each author's draft with any written comments.

Further Resources: On Reserve at Abell Library

Brande, Dorothea. Becoming a Writer. Ellman, Richard. The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry.
Halpern, Daniel. The Anteus Anthology.
Hollander, John. RhymeÕs Reason.
Madison, D. Soyini. The Woman that I Am: The Literature and Culture of Contemporary Women of Color.
Oliver, Mary. A Poetry Handbook.
Pack, Robert. Touchstones: American Poets on a Favorite Poem.
Ueland, Brenda. If You Want To Write: A Book about Art, Independence, and Spirit.
Wooldridge, Susan G. Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life With Words.

Be sure also to browse through the on-line catalog looking for author-specific collections by authors you enjoy.