Instructor: Skia Laurence
5-10 students
Suggested Ages: 13+ years old
Meets: Thursdays at 11:00 am, 15 weeks. Starts Feb 4th.
CLASS DESCRIPTION:
Here’s the place to explore ways to express the things that are hard to express or that are in danger of going unnoticed. Poetry is a healing art. For the writer, putting things on paper — just so — can help bring clarity. Having them written down holds those ideas and memories safe and can help release us from the need to play them again and again in our head. Song lyrics are poetry too: When you really want people to listen, nothing is better than to set your words to music.
You are invited to grab a brand new journal and join us for an exploration of English language poetic forms. We will also indulge in a few digressions into topics like why some of those forms don’t work in other languages, what forms exist in other languages that might be hard to do in English, or which comes first, the tune or the lyrics? This is a writing intensive course. Students are encouraged to cultivate their writer’s eye and the habit of expressive writing by keeping a journal of ideas and observations that seem as though they might prove poetry worthy. We will study various poetic forms and try our hand at them. Students are encouraged to share their poems, but may find other poems to share, as we explore the questions: "Does this poem strictly follow the form?" and "What works well here?"
Students who speak English as a Second Language or who suffer from a lack of confidence in their writing for any reason are encouraged to join and will be given extra help as needed.
Recommended text: A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms by Paul B. Janeczko
