Christopher Bakken

Office: Oddfellows 220
Office Hours: M/W 9-11am; T/Th 10-11am

Tel: 332 4338
e-mail: cbakken@allegheny.edu

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Our word "poet" originally comes from the Greek word for "maker" or "creator." In this course we will endeavor to remind ourselves of the materials, the conventions, the ideas, and the media out of which poems are made. It is easy to argue that the art of creation cannot be taught; but we will begin with the hypothesis that certain things about the craft of poetry can, in fact, through observation and imitation, be learned. Thus, we will spend a surprisingly large quotient of our time reading poetry, finding models and tuning our ears and eyes to them, learning what we can about their technical idiosyncrasies, memorizing their music. We will use our remaining time together to discuss your writing, much of it in the form of exercises and assignments.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Most of the poems you write for this course will be produced under unusual and rather extreme conditions. You will be given deadlines that will afford little time for inspiration, brooding or procrastination. The good news is that (for the most part) you will be responding to assignments; this should take some of the "creative pressure" off of you. Take these assignments very seriously (you'll certainly learn something if you do), but also think of them as exercises, not instant masterpieces. Nevertheless, we will discuss your work both as exercises and as poems. More often than not, your work may succeed in the first of those capacities, but probably not in the second. But if you revise these exercises, and if you work hard and get lucky, you might very well have some poems by the semester's end.

The due dates for each poetry assignment are inflexible. Late poems will not be discussed or considered by the instructor. Students who fail to turn in poems on time will risk the chance of failing the course.

Since poetry places a particular kind of pressure upon language-by virtue of its intensity and meticulous compression-it is crucial that your poems are edited as well as, if not even more fastidiously than your prose.

No one can write good poetry without learning how to read good poetry first; therefore, your other assignment this term is to become a competent and enthusiastic reader of poetry. Readings from the anthologies, the Baker and Doty volumes, and the Richard Hugo book, are important parts of that assignment; brief written responses to these readings may be required. Also, you will be prescribed an American poet whose work you are unfamiliar with. Think of these assignments as real "prescriptions"; I will choose a poet for you whose work might be useful to your evolving sense of what a poem does. In your portfolio at the end of the term, you will include a carefully written "review/sketch" (appreciation, criticism, analysis, discussion, etc.) of that poet and/or a few of that poet's poems. Some research is appropriate preparation for such an activity, but it is more important that you try to approach the poet as a poet: lead us through a compelling poem, talk about the style and sound and texture of the poems, reveal the ideas present there, and tell us what you like about the poems. Models for this prose assignment are readily available; please do not hesitate to ask for them.

EVALUATION:

The grade assigned to your work in this course will depend in part on your ability to produce and submit poems by the assigned due dates and to complete other assignments in a timely, professional and diligent manner. Since all creative work in this course will be considered "in progress," you need not worry about being "graded" on the success of individual drafts. Each of you will produce a portfolio of your poems (consisting of at least nine poems) by the end of the term. Most, if not all of those poems will be revisions of previously submitted work. Your final grade will, to a large degree, be determined by the other elements of this final portfolio and the quality of your final revisions. You will also be asked to provide spoken and written critiques on the work of your peers all semester long; your participation in this activity will be considered in formulating your final grade. And because you will benefit from coming into contact with living poets, your attendance at Single Voice Readings is mandatory. Since the course is organized as a workshop, attendance and class participation are also mandatory. Students who miss more than four classes will find their grade lowered by as much as a full letter grade. Students who miss six or more classes should not expect to pass.

TEXTS:

Required:
Under the Rock Umbrella, ed. Walsh

The Triggering Town, Richard Hugo
Structure and Surprise, ed. Theune

Fire to Fire, Mark Doty
David Baker, Never-Ending Birds

Writing Poetry. Ed. Davidson & Fraser.

THE PORTFOLIO:

Most of your grade for this course will be determined by the portfolio you turn in at the end of the semester. This portfolio will consist of three items:
1) a prose "introduction" to your portfolio. This is your chance to say anything about your performance in the course, about the poems you did and did not make. A statement of your "aesthetic" is not necessary, but some account of what you attempted, what you succeeded in, what you failed at and what you learned would be appropriate here. The best of these will exhibit remarkable self-scrutiny and depth.
2) Nine revised poems with their 'original' drafts (the draft you submitted to the class and I returned to you with notations)
3) Your review/sketch of the poet assigned to you from the anthology.

Please submit your portfolio typed and assembled carefully in a three-ringed binder with your name on it. No illustrations or fancy covers please. Portfolios Due: December 14th, 9am.

COURSE CALENDAR:

We will work on an alternating schedule: poems will be due about every other class meeting. The other classes will be dedicated to explaining assignments, discussing models for those assignments, and considering prose reading assignments. You will be required to bring enough copies (one for each of your peers plus one for the instructor) of each assignment to class on the due date. Arrive with these photocopies ready to be distributed! If your poem is not ready on the due date, it will not be distributed or discussed. Texts/Poems Listed Below must be read before you arrive in class.

August
27 First Day of Class: Course Introduction, First Assignment: "The The"

September
1 Exercise & Models of Assignment One. Read Hugo, ch. 1 & 5. In RU, read Balk, "Dear Hippopotamus" [27]; Carbo, "Tuyo" [68]; Collier, "To a Chameleon" [70]; Doty, "Grackles on Montrose" [96]; Hollander, "California Roll" [173]; McGrath, "Snapdragons" [231]; Spires, "Snail" & "Snail, Revisited" [333-335]; Thurman, "Tea Taster's Glossary" [347]; Wohlfeld, "Nautilus" [409]. Optional: in Goat Funeral, read "The Blue Jay" and "Portrait Detail, with Pear."
3 Exercises and Models of Assignment One, cont. Read pp. 1-27 in Writing Poetry. In Doty, read: "Description" [135], "A Green Crab's Shell" [138],"A Display of Mackerel" [140].

8 "The The" poems due. Assignment Two: Praise Poem. Read pp. 28-43 & 85-93 in Writing Poetry. In Structure & Surprise, read ch. 2, "The Emblem Structure." In Doty, read "No" [103] and "Migratory" [165] and "The Embrace" [201]. In RU, read Addonizio, "First Kiss" & "31-year-old Lover" [2]; Balk, "Lauds for…" [26]; Baumel, "New, New York" [35]; Belieu, "I Heart Your Dog's Head" [44]; Collier, "The Watch" [71]; Jarman, "Prayer for…" [184]; McGrath, "Xena…" [230]; Prufer, "Infant Nephew" [277]; Gallagher, "A Secret Wish" [133]; Young, "Ode to Hangover" [427].
10 Disc. of "The The" poems.

15 Praise Poems Due. Assignment Three: Persona Poem. Read pp. 44-58; 206-207 in Writing Poetry. In RU, read: Jenks, "Saturday Morning" [190]; Marvin, "A Windmill…" [222]; Seibles, "Jimi's Blues" [314]; Weaver, "Zombie Dance…" [387-8] & "The Incomplete Heart" [390]. In Doty, read "Bill's Story" [112]. Optional: in Goat Funeral, read; "Late Adam Thinking," "Ariadne (Postscript)" and "Last Words from Elpenor" & in AfterGreece, read "Burning the Turk" and "At Xanthos."
Single Voice Reading: Courtney Zoffness. Tillotson Room, 8pm.
17 No class.

22 Disc. of Praise Poems
24 Persona Poem Due. Assignment Four: At/Locale Poem. Read Hugo, ch. 2 & 3. In Structure & Surprise, read ch. 7, "The Descriptive-Meditative Structure." In Doty, read: "Source" [272]. In RU, read Agoos, "Powers of the Earth" [5], Angel, "Cul-de-sac" [16]; Braggs, "La Deception" [57] & "Like a Rhinestone Cowboy" [60]; Dumanis, "The Death of Elegy" (108); Hicok, "Peoria" [164]; Weaver, "The Path" [388]; Wiman, "Clearing" [401]." Optional: in After Greece, read "Samothraki," "Dion," "Kelifos" & "The Maenad at Perea." & in Goat Funeral, read "Ohio Elegy."

29 Disc. of Persona poems.

October
1 "At…"/ Locale poem Due. Assignment Five: Ekphrastic poem. Read pp. 146-155 & 208-211 in Writing Poetry. Read In RU, read Aizenberg, "In the Frame" [8]; Wright, "Van Gogh's…" [417]; In Doty, read "The Ware Collection…" [78], "Brian Age Seven" [239], "Paul's Tattoo" [241], Optional: in After Greece, read "Terra Incognita" and "Landscape with Kore" & in Goat Funeral, read: "Detail from the Martyrdom of St. Mauricio."
Willard Spiegelman reading. 8pm. Quigley Auditorium.

6 Disc. of "At..."/ Locale poems.
8 Ekphrastic Poem Due. Assignment Six: Sonnet. In RU, read Agoos, "February" [6]; Aizenberg, "For the Dark Girl" [7]; Bakken, "Alexandroupoli" [25]; Barot, "Elegy" [31]; Campo, "On Valentine's Day" [66]; Cooley, "Triage Sonnet" [76]; Davidson, "Cockroaches" [92]; Harms, "Twilight…" [160]; Kasdorf, "Nights Like This" [199]; McCombs, "Stephen Bishop's Grave" & "Cave Mummies" [226]. Optional: in Goat Funeral, read: "The World Reduced to One Thing," Purgatory, a Postcard," "Coleridge in Valletta," and "Last Words from Elpenor" & in After Greece, read: "Cliff Lullaby," "Dido," "Melisses," "Santorini," & "A Concert of Ancient Music.".
13 Fall Break
15 Disc. of Ekphrastic poems.

20 Read David Baker in class.
21 Single Voice Reading: David Baker reading. 8pm. Quigley Auditorium.
22 Sonnet due. Assignment Seven: Short Poem or Ironic Structure poem. In Structure and Surprise, read ch. 1, "The Ironic Structure." In RU, read Alexie, "Migration, 1902" [12]; Bradley, "Gathered from…" [54]; Dove, "In the Bulrush" & "Eighth Juror" [98-99]; Espada, "DSS Dream," "Sheep Haiku," & "When the Leather…" [117-118]; Hall, "Properties" [148]; Rohrer, "Map of Lament" [299]; Streckfus, "Ode" [337]; Trinidad, "Reruns" [369]; Wiman, "A Field…" [402]; Wright, "Birthday" [416]. Optional: in Goat Funeral, read "Parenthesis" & in After Greece, read: "Behind the Theatre, Limenas."
27 Disc. of Sonnets.
28 Single Voice Reading: Julie Otsuka. 8pm, Tillotson Room.
29 Short poem/Ironic Structure poem due. Assignment Eight: Substructure. Read pp. 156-185 in Writing Poetry. In Structure & Surprise, read ch. 9, "Substructure" and browse "Endless Structures" [187-223]. In RU, read Bateman, "Poetmaster 1, 4 & 9" [32-34]; Cooley, "Suspicion" [74]; Duhamel, "Embarazar" [104]; Gylys, "Personal" [146]; Hoagland, "My Country" [167]; Jarnot, "Hound Pastoral" [187]; Walsh, "In Anticipation of…." [378]; Wiman, "What I Know" [402]. In Doty, read: "Heaven for Paul" [290]. Optional: in Goat Funeral, read "Minimalist Eclogue" & "Anatomy."

November
3 Disc. of Short/Ironic structure poems.
5 Substructure poems due. Assignment Nine: Self-Portrait. In RU, read: Gylys, "My Father's Nightmare" [146]; Hicok, "Man of the House" [163]; Lee, "Night Mirror" [209]; Merrill, "Doppleganger" [235]; Webb, "I Never Had…" [392] & "Congratulations…" [394-6]. Optional: in After Greece, read "Proteus" & "Philoctetes." In Goat Funeral, read "Anamnesis" & "Duet with Fernando Pessoa."

10 Disc. of Substructure Poems
12 Self-Portrait Due. Assignment Ten: "Days of" poem. In Doty, read: "Days of 1981" [83] and "In the Same Space" [289]. In RU, read Balk, "Dusk Choir" [27]; Fulton, "Great Aunts of my Childhood" [128]; Jones, "The Blacksnake" [196]; McGrath, "Girl with Blue Plastic Radio" [229]; Roripaugh, "Loneliness" [302]; Soto, "Dizzy Girls" [327] & "The Wrestler's Heart" [329]; Tichy, "The Sentence" [350]; Townsend, "Mall Life" [359]; Trinidad, "Song" [366]; Weaver, "Sin, 1969" [390]; Wilson, "Dogfish" [398]; Wojahn, "Days of 1994" [410]. Optional: in Goat Funeral, read "Days of 1987."

17 Disc. of Self-Portraits.
19 Days of..." Poem Due. Read Robert Frost.

24 Disc. of "Days of" poems.
26 Thanksgiving.
December
1 Revisions due. Read more Frost.
3 Revision speed workshop.

8 Final Reading.

Portfolios Due: December 14th, 9am.