Forms of Poetry at Home and Abroad: A Workshop

Catalog description

Poets have long relied on formal structures to write into surprise and wonder. We know of structures such as the sonnet and the sestina, but what about the haibun, zuihitsu, tanka, ghazal, qada, pantoum, rondeau, triolet, villanelle, sijo, jintishi, and landay? How might we reimagine poetic forms in English by looking to the past at home and abroad? In this poetry workshop, you will write an original poem each week. Assigned readings will illustrate the development of specific forms from language traditions around the world and the ways in which they've manifested in English-language poetry. Previous experience with creative writing not required.