CRW 5331 Fall 2024 - Kirby

Linus Pauling said, “The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas,” and the same is true for poems. Our classroom will be your garden. It’ll be your laboratory. Our classroom will be the little convenience store on the truck route that never closes as well as the high-volume, deep-discount retail poetry outlet that ships more units than anyone else in the tri-state area. We’ll study craft poems from Enheduanna and Nine Inch Nails to Jelly Roll Morton and Franny Choi, plus you’ll present your own work, have frequent conferences with me, keep a digital journal of “bits” that you’ll turn into “kits” (more on that later), work with a series of rotating partners, and finish up in December with a publishable portfolio. We’ll teach, care for, and learn from one another unceasingly. Hit the gym! This may be the busiest class you’ve ever taken.

Requirements: For MFA students, this course satisfies 3 of the required 12-15 hours of writing workshops. For PhD students, it counts toward the 27 hours of required coursework.