Intermediate Creative Writing: Intermediate Poetry

Where do poems come from? In this course, we’ll study how poets draw from both the material of life as well as literary tradition in order to create writing that has the power to change the way that people think and feel. We’ll study poetic form — from contemporary takes on traditional forms such as the ballad and the villanelle, to free verse and newer innovations by 21st century poets — with attention to the ways in which the landscape of poetry evolves as poets try new things. Over the course of the semester, we’ll draw inspiration from writers such as Traci Brimhall, Natasha Trethewey, Natalie Diaz, Jericho Brown, and Seamus Heaney. Students will have the opportunity to workshop their own poetry several times.