Thursday, October 27, 2011

Writing Poetry Update

10/27 Thursday
Complete workshop.
Homework: For Tuesday, have two imitation poems ready.
1. a poet from your previous reading (O'Hara, Bishop.etc.)
2. Jackie Osherow

You will hand them both out for comments and choose the one you want us most to focus on for class discussion. (You don't need to note that on the poems, just tell us when it's your turn which you'd like to look at.) Also, for those of you still interested in addressing the "Muskingum County Massacre" any one of these poems can be paired with that option. BONUS: Emma Bolden at The Yawp Project
said she would be interested in having us send these to her project. Her site was invented to give people the inspiration to get poems that they really love out into the world. But, for Whitman, it is that crucial shout, that which must be said, spoken written. For me, it's these blameless creatures who feel rather crucial right now. AND you could send the same poem for consideration to Botticelli as neither Emma's site nor Botticelli are funny about previously-published work. (Think of the resume!)

11/01 Tuesday Distribution of new work and discussion of formal verse. We'll start workshops of imitations on Tuesday and limit each to seven minutes so you'll need to have your comments ready and be efficient. Formal poems will be due for distribution a week from Thursday. (11/10).

Formal Poetry Reading: Formal poetry readings: The Sestina.
Elizabeth Bishop One Art and Sestina (yes, I know you've read her but focus in on these two in particular for the formal poetry assignment.) Matthew Guenette's Sestina Aguillera
Dylan Thomas Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.

The Sonnet & Terza Rima are also options.
There are examples on the left of the page.
This POETIC GLOSSARY should prove useful.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Weekly Update All Classes

POETRY: Jackie Osherow's visit is next week. Her book is due, read all the way through by Thursday. For now, we'll be hitting some links. (We are going to delay any workshops for the week, to be ready for her visit. Do have your imitations and formal poems in mind--her poems actually work off of form quite often, so we'll just plug her into our studies of formal verse and you'll be even more ready.)

This week's plan:

Tuesday 10/18 Start unit on Osherow. I will lead an introduction to her work in class. Be ready to talk about her whole book and the es Read the following:
Poetry Society of America essay

God's Acrostic, (from Dead Man's Praise, I think.)

From Hoopoe's Crown

And from Whitethorn, your REQUIRED text.
Poem for Jenny

Thursday 10/20 Whitethorn discussion. Come to class with comments ready.

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WRITING FICTION:

Tuesday 10/18: Complete Moby Dick (movie, of course)
Group One to have stories ready to distribute.

Thursday 10/20: Group One Stories, possible writing assignment.
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CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE


Tuesday 10/18 Imagist poems due. Typed, ready to turn in. (Look to William Carlos Williams links and a Brief Guide to Imagism on the Academy of Am. Poets' page. More on Williams. Video on Robert Frost.

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NOTE: In light of our visiting artist Monday, October 24, 11:00 a.m. Canzani Auditorium. We'll follow the links for her work under Writing Poetry above. And we will discuss in class for students who have the book.

10/20 Thursday We will study Jacqueline Osherow's work this week.
Tuesday 10/25 In class visit by Jackie Osherow. Have questions ready for her about her work or contemporary poetry or her beloved Ms. Emily Dickinson. You can ask her about blank verhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifse and the more colloquial voice in her work and in Frost's. You can ask about her primary influences and what she learned from them specifically. Also, her vast connection to specific works of art.
Homework: Read Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens (a little look back, I know). Discuss how his view of the blackbird is different from an Imagist's take or how you find it similar. Discuss then, how Frost might have written the same poem. Homework: Read Robert Frost, Bio, and all of the poems. And ee cummings selections.

Thursday 10/27 Discusson on Imagism continued, also Frost, Stevens ee.cummings. Homework: Hart Crane bio and poems.

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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

BOTTICELLI LITERARY/ART JOURNAL
Ways to be involved: Note that you can choose one of these roles and still work on individual events. All staff members are encouraged to submit work to the journal, too. We’ll see to it that your acceptance or rejection is fairly determined.
Note to those NOT in attendance: There are positions available throughout and I am open to any ideas you'd like to add that will help Botticelli be more visible on campus. The next document will show some of the ideas we've already come up with and beginning to implement.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Assistant Editor: Silver Corbin: Helps oversee contact with staff, any extra duties involving editing, etc. Helps (thank you Silver!) coordinate times for staff members to meet either online or live.
Poetry and Fiction Editors: Mary Nemeth and Scott Stewart will share these two posts Checks for new poetry and fiction submissions. Screens them organizes them as we select or reject them. Sends an email either way to author. (We have standard emails for this process.)
Interview/Review/Non Fiction Editor__________________(position open) See poetry ed. duties except pertaining to CNF.and the featured artists section that we discussed in the meeting. (Senior Thesis pieces and so on.)
Literary Staff:
Art Editor Pallavi Sen
Helps solicit art submissions from CCAD. While I am open to our inclusion of outside literary submissions, I prefer the art come from our students for the time being. An art editor can request pieces be sent in for consideration and will help with emailing selected artists and letting them know that the status of their work. Additionally, the Art Editor can work to decide which art is placed where as the site and the venues for Botticelli grow. (Broadsides, possible chapbooks, etc.)
Art Staff:
__________________
Media Assistant: Silver Corbin &______________
Is comfortable with learning some minor website programming and helping ensure that the site is running and/or contacting me to let me know that say, submissions are not getting in, etc. Helps set the site up each issue. (More on what is involved from Mitch: our resident saint and multi-media guru.)
Individual events:
Poetry on Demand: Sitting at a table in Crane for a couple of hours at a time and writing poems on demand for Valentines or decorating completed valentines with artwork, cutting out paper hearts etc.
Reading: Helping Hannah Stephenson with the reading for accepted work. (People will give a reading of their work—optional, of course—to inaugurate the new issues.) The person working here will simply help contact authors and help Hannah get everything ready. Ideally, there will be two of these per year.
Flying Poems: In April, for National Poetry Month. We get helium balloons and we send them away with poems on their strings. Chelsea Free can give you the scoop on how she set this event up the first year.
We are planning a number of new events and ways to make Botticelli visible to the school and nationwide.
1. Mary Nemeth suggested that we do bookmarks with poems from the magazine on them and/or our name and "logo" etc. (Not sure, but Mary can let us know.) In any case, these will be slipped into books in libraries and bookstores and places where books be throughout the city. Additionally, these and any broadsides/keepsakes we make will be available at the Botticelli table in Chicago at Associated Writing Programs Conference (February.)

2. Mary's other idea is slipping my mind just now, but it was good. Help me out, Guys. Or was it this one: We feature seniors and one grad. student per issue. We interview them, have some of their art available in a section. We were thinking maybe three per issue.

3. Austin's idea about having pieces of art inspired by writing and writing inspired by art (the artist's or writer's own work or work that is available to us for that forum, even if only by mention, but sometimes in image).

4. I am drawing a blank but there were some great ideas including Pallavi's suggestions for how to pull more artwork and artists into the magazine and Silver's idea that we do a kind of national poetry swap. I think that bookmarks and broadsides would facilitate this process.

Events by Season or Month:

Fall: Public Reading from New Issue (Hannah Stephenson) Next year: Family Homecoming Weekend or around Halloween. This year will be pushed back to November due to our getting re-started with the new technology, etc.

Winter Poems on Demand (Valentines' Day) I will want Alejandro, Scott Stewart and any other willing staff members at the table. You can write poems or make the Valentines

Flying Poetry (April for National Poetry Month

Spring: Public Reading for New Spring Issue and National Poetry Month. (Hannah Stephenson is willing to organize these.)