CRW 5331 Spring 2022 Wilson

In the first issue of The Prose Poem: An International Journal, editor Peter Johnson opined, “Just as black humor straddles the fine line between comedy and tragedy, so the prose poem plants one foot in prose, the other in poetry, both heels resting precariously on banana peels.” After surveying the work of innovators at the fin de siècle through the late 20th century (Rimbaud, James Weldon and Fenton Johnson, Stein, Neruda, Brooks, Bishop, Simic, Giovanni, et al.), we'll explore innovative contemporary collections that exploit the long line without falling flat. Poetic prose by Harryette Mullen, Erica Hunt, Oliver de la Paz, Claudia Rankine, Atsuro Riley, Layli Long Soldier, Tommy Pico, Taylor Johnson, and lyric essays on the line by James Longenbach, Alyson Miller, Ellen Bryant Voigt, and others will animate our discussions of our own poems.