ENGL 283 A: Beginning Verse Writing

Syllabus for ENGL 283 A: Beginning Verse Writing

Autumn Quarter 2022

Beginning Verse Writing_ ENGL 283 Wilkinson AU22.pdf

Time: Monday/Wednesday 10:30-11:50am PDT

Instructor: Laurel Wilkinson (she/her)

Location: LOW 111

Office Hours: T 11am-12pm, W 12-1pm, or by appointment via Zoom

Office: Padelford B25: Creative Writing Suite

Email: ljwilkin@uw.edu 

My Zoom Link: https://washington.zoom.us/my/laurelwilkinson 

“[...] Poetry comes out of life. What happened to you yesterday and last week and six years ago and ten minutes ago and what you surmise may happen tomorrow is poetry-in-the-rough. Strain it — distill — work the magic of carefully-chosen words upon it — and there’s poetry.” - Gwendolyn Brooks

“If I read a book [and] it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” - Emily Dickinson

“Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth.” - June Jordan

Welcome to Beginning Verse Writing!

This course is designed as an intensive introduction to the craft of poetry––reading, listening to, writing, responding to, workshopping, and revising poems. Throughout the quarter, you will explore what poetry means to you, and consider how poetry can enrich, complicate, affirm, challenge, and reshape elements of our everyday lives. 

Similar to other crafts, such as painting and sculpting, poetry is both an art and a practice that requires skill, technique, and sustained effort. To effectively engage with poems and poetry, we must develop a common vocabulary for the “mechanics” or “tools” of the craft (e.g. meter, rhyme, image, metaphor), practice identifying the presence of these “tools” in other poets’ work, and, finally, experiment with these tools in our own work. Throughout this process, we will actively reflect upon the various challenges, successes, and questions we encounter, and share those insights with a community of other practitioners in a writer’s workshop. 

In this section, many of our readings explore modern and contemporary American poetics, but you are highly encouraged to explore any/all poetic traditions that interest you. You will have multiple opportunities to research poems and poets of your choosing and to position your own writing in relation to them.

Land Acknowledgement:

Seattle, my old salmonberry moon under a sky

as light as a tossed net, who remains,

leaping with salmon for old emotions?

- Duane Niatum, UW graduate & poet, member of Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe 

As an instructor and student at UW Seattle, I acknowledge the Coast Salish peoples (past, present, and future) of this land, the unceded land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Duwamish, Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations. 

Recognizing our presence on unceded Indigenous lands is one small step in recognizing that colonialism is not a legacy of the past, but real, sustained, and present. It is our responsibility to go beyond ‘optical allyship’ and push for justice in institutions that exist within the legacies of land theft, genocide, and enslavement. Here are some steps non-Indigenous people (like myself) can take to enact positive and impactful change.

Classroom Expectations and Culture

I invite you to bring curiosity, authenticity, and respect to the classroom. To honor everyone’s time, you are expected to arrive at class meetings on-time with the required materials and assignments/readings completed. Furthermore, to cultivate a healthy and equitable classroom dynamic, we will collectively establish classroom community guidelines, check-in throughout the quarter to evaluate the efficacy of these guidelines, and make adjustments as needed. 

Communication and Announcements

Please check your university email accounts and our Canvas page regularly for announcements and up-to-date information re: assignments, readings, and workshops.

You are always welcome to visit me during office hours with any questions, comments, or concerns about your writing and the course. Outside of office hours, please contact me via email. I typically respond to messages within one business day (note that if you email me on Friday night, Saturday or Sunday, I may not respond until Monday). 

Common Ground Clause: 

"You are someone and you have a right to your life." - Richard Hugo, UW graduate & poet

We each arrive in this classroom possessing different life experiences, but one thing we all have in common is this space—the common ground of ENGL 283. Each member of this class has an equal right to share in the learning experience that we undertake together.

With this in mind, please do not write poems about your fellow classmates, me (your instructor), or the nature of your assignments in this course (e.g a poem that is a thinly-veiled critique of a sonnet assignment). You have the rest of the world outside of this classroom to write about. Poems that appear to disrespect anyone in the classroom or behavior that seeks to undermine the common ground of ENGL 283 will NOT receive credit, and you may be asked to permanently leave the course. 

Language Clause:

While this class is conducted in standardized English, our experience of the world is not limited to one linguistic community or lineage. In our poetry, we may choose to write in different Englishes, draw upon varied grammars and conventions, and/or include words from different languages. 

As a reader, it is your responsibility to research unfamiliar terms/language differences prior to class meetings. For example, if a classmate includes a word in their poem from a different language, be sure to define/analyze the effect of that word before you attend the workshop. Similarly, please refrain from proofreading or ‘correcting’ classmates’ grammatical choices unless those choices are clearly unintentional or severely inhibit your ability to read the poem. 

Hateful language is not permitted in this class. Let us be mindful of the ethical implications of our languages and how our language practices affect others in the world around us. 

Labor and Grading Breakdown

Detailed Descriptions of Labor

Participation:

• Attendance: You are permitted 1 unexcused absence throughout the quarter, no questions asked, no penalties incurred. If you are ill or otherwise unable to attend class, please contact me 24 hours in advance to receive an excused absence or make arrangements for virtual/asynchronous participation. If you receive an excused absence, you must complete make-up work (including, but not limited to, poem assignments, in-class activities, workshop feedback, and poem responses) within a week of your absence, unless we have discussed otherwise. Unexcused absences and incomplete makeup work will negatively impact your participation grade. 
• Class discussions & Activities: Active engagement with course activities and materials is integral to success in this class. Please complete all required reading by the beginning of each class session and be prepared to discuss and participate in class activities. The most up-to-date agenda and reading assignments can be found on our course Canvas page. 
• Workshop Attendance and Participation: Throughout the quarter, you must attend  3 writing workshops and provide consistent, thoughtful, and respectful feedback to your workshop group. Workshop etiquette and feedback guidelines will be discussed in-class and posted to Canvas. You must give feedback for every poem your group workshops. Feedback can be written by hand or completed electronically. It does NOT need to be turned in to me. However, if you notice that you’re consistently not receiving feedback from a classmate, let me know. We will hold an extra workshop during the final week of class if you need to make-up for missed workshops due to excused absences. 
• 2 Writing Conferences: During weeks 5 and 9, you are required to attend 20-minute individual writing conferences to discuss your writing/work in the course. These conferences are mandatory and will replace one class session for those weeks. Sign-ups and additional instructions will be distributed in-class and posted to Canvas. 

Short Poetry Responses:

• Description: Brief, informal writings on poems that you encounter via course readings or your own research on contemporary poets. Designed to help you build familiarity with poetic terms, elements of craft, close reading, and analysis. 
• Requirements: Complete 3-5 responses of approx. 250-500 words each. May be hand-written or typed.
• Evaluation: You will NOT receive written feedback from me on these assignments, but they will be graded for completion, and will help you practice response in preparation for workshops and the final portfolio.
• Guiding Questions: 

• • What was your experience of reading the poem(s)? 
  • What craft elements did you notice? 
  • What drew you to the poem or repelled you from the poem? 
  • What do you admire about the work? 
  • What do you notice happening on the linguistic or sonic level?

Poem First Drafts

• Requirements: 5-7 complete drafts written in response to given prompts. Submitted to Canvas by Due Dates (typically Sundays at 11:59pm).
• Submission for Workshop: Of these 5-7 poems, you will submit 3 of your choosing for workshop.
• Evaluation: I will provide written feedback on 3 poems of your choosing. You are always welcome to seek feedback on additional poems during office hours. 

Poetry Events and Reflections

• Attendance: Attend 1-2 poetry readings and/or community events. May be in-person or online.
• Reflection: Compose 1-2 short reflections on your experience(s) and submit via Canvas. Guiding questions/suggestions for content posted to Canvas.
• Finding Events: I will provide regular announcements re: upcoming community and literary events, but you are welcome to attend any relevant events of your choosing. UW MFA’s monthly reading series, Castalia, is an excellent choice for fulfilling this requirement, as are other poetry events held at Hugo House, Seattle Arts and Lectures, and various bookstores throughout Seattle.

Observation Journal

• Description: Informal daily log of sensory, imagistic, and linguistic observations.
• Purpose: While this journal will not be graded, it is an important component of poetic practice, and we will reference it regularly during class sessions. 
• Tips: I recommend purchasing a small notebook or keeping a document on the notes app of your phone for easy access. 

Poetry Portfolio

• Requirements:

• All 5-7 first drafts of poems
• 2-4 substantially revised poems 
• 3 selected poems by poets of your choosing + brief framing and analysis
• Artist’s Statement, Reflection, Works Cited

• Evaluation: Revision strategies, techniques, and rubrics to be shared in-class and posted to Canvas. Substantial revisions show thoughtful consideration of feedback received from instructor and workshop group. Your revisions do not have to stick as closely to the prompts as I expect first drafts to; you can branch out as needed.
• Purpose: The portfolio is designed to evaluate your progress as a writer and honor the labor you’ve invested in the course throughout the quarter. It is a useful tool for measuring individual, rather than comparative, growth. 

• Selected Poems: You may select any poems you have encountered throughout the quarter, whether in our class readings & activities or your own research on contemporary poets. 

• Artist’s Statement: This is a reflection regarding your views of poetry, what/who influences you, what kind of poetry you’re interested in, what creative vision you have for your work, what styles you’re interested in and why, etc. You should also revisit the central questions of this class: What does poetry mean to you, and what place does poetry have in your life? Further guidelines will be distributed in-class and posted to Canvas.

Evaluation of Work and Grading Pathways:

There are 3 grading pathways you can choose in this class. These grading pathways outline the labor required to receive a certain grade range in the class. The difference between getting, say, a 3.0 and a 3.3 within the first grading pathway is ultimately determined by the effort and thoughtfulness demonstrated in your assignments―with particular emphasis on the revision and reflection present in your final portfolio.

At the end of Week 1, you will choose a grading pathway that you would like to follow. You may switch grading pathways during the quarter, but you must email me to let me know of this change. 

**You cannot choose to move “up” in a Grading pathway after Week 7**

The purpose of utilizing these grading pathways is to be transparent in my evaluation process. I am not grading you based on what I arbitrarily consider to be “good” writing. These pathways attempt to make grading more equitable because you, as a student, have a say in your success by determining the labor you will complete (commensurate with a grade range). There is, however, still a margin of subjectivity through my assessment of your effort. I will provide you with more detailed rubrics and guidelines for the Portfolio in-class.

Due Dates:

This class is intensive: you are submitting writing nearly every week. If you fall behind, it is easy for assignments to snowball, so I recommend reviewing due dates ahead of time to get a sense of what is expected of you. Assignments handed in after the due date will not receive written feedback, but you are welcome to seek out feedback in OH. Please reach out if you are feeling overwhelmed and we can troubleshoot together. 

Formatting Requirements:

All drafts of poems must include your name in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. Below that, include the instructor’s name, the class number, the assignment title, and the date, all single-spaced. For example:

[Your Name]

Instructor Laurel Wilkinson 

ENGL 283 A

Poem 1: [Prompt Name]

September 29, 2022

Below your heading, write the title of your poem. You can justify it however you want (bold/italics, etc).

All poems must use a 12-point standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial). All poems should be left-justified and single-spaced unless you have made the choice to justify or space them differently for a reason of craft.

All prose writing submitted should have an identical header, use a 12-point standard font, be double spaced, and include page numbers (i.e., loose MLA format). 

Workshop Etiquette and Guidelines:

The workshop is a community: the goal of this community is to help you and your fellow workshop participants to become better writers. In order for this to happen effectively, we need to combine respect for the writer with thoughtful, serious and insightful feedback on the poem up for discussion.

All poems brought to workshop should be assumed to be works in progress and not finished pieces. However, this does not necessarily mean that poems must be “diagnosed” or “fixed” by the workshop. Our goal as a workshop is not to seek out flaws and weaknesses in a poem (which are subjective and will vary according to both writer and audience) but to explore various possibilities and futures for the poem and give the writer tools to realize their own definition of poetic success. In other words, all workshop criticism should be aimed at discovering the poem’s “best self.” 

During workshop, refrain from speaking for any disproportionately short or long time. Don’t always be the first to speak, or the last. Try not to repeat what other people have already said.

Sharing our writing can often be a vulnerable experience. It is our responsibility as workshop members to arrive at each poem with sensitivity. While poems sometimes spring from real life experience, it is best to avoid conflating the writer of a poem with the speaker of a poem. We are here to study and critique poems; we are not here to judge one another’s values or make assumptions about writers’ personal lives.

Preparing for Workshop

During the quarter, you will be assigned to a small workshop group. These groups will meet at least 3 times, meaning that everyone should have at least 3 poems workshopped by their peers. If you are unable to attend workshop for any reason (excused or unexcused), please let me and your workshop groups know ASAP so that we can plan accordingly. You will still be responsible for submitting your feedback to classmates in a timely manner. At the end of the quarter, we will hold one make-up workshop to account for any excused absences. 

Poems will be submitted for workshop to Canvas several days before the workshop to allow participants adequate time to read and annotate all poems. I will provide announcements/reminders to help you stay on track. 

You must annotate your classmates’ poems and write response letters (more info on this to come later in the quarter!) BEFORE the workshop. This will help to facilitate your contribution to the discussion in-person. You will give your annotated poem to the poet AFTER the poem has been workshopped. 

Comments should be precise and detailed, offering evidence from the text for their assertions. They should be analytical rather than preferential. For example, it is insufficient to say “I like the image.” Instead, you might say, “the image ‘the minnows nibbled at her toes’ is effective because it appeals to both our sense of sight and our sense of touch. The image is also musically interesting with the repeated i’s and n’s of “minnows” and “nibbling” and it’s thematically important because it foreshadows the end of the poem, where the aunt is consumed by cancer.” Do your best to locate the passages, devices, and/or choices that seem most effective in pursuit of the work’s intent, or core, as well as those that seem least effective, less fully realized, or counter to the work’s intention. 

Keep in mind that discomfort can be a generative emotion in workshop. If a poem makes you feel uncomfortable, this is a valid entry point for discussion in workshop. Consider: is this discomfort productive (i.e. causing you to reflect & interact with the poem in a way which is ultimately fruitful) or is this discomfort unproductive (i.e. causing you to shut down & interact with the poem in a way which is ultimately unsatisfying)?

Additional information and tips for workshopping will be provided in-class and via Canvas, but please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns. 

Finally, it is important to remember that you cannot and should not respond to every suggestion, whether from instructors or peers, that you receive in workshop. Part of your revision process as a poet will be filtering out unhelpful feedback and choosing to experiment with the suggestions you feel are most valuable to your work. 

Appendix: Campus Resources

Academic Integrity: 

Plagiarism, or academic dishonesty, is presenting someone else's ideas or writing as your own. In your writing for this class, you are encouraged to refer to other people's thoughts and writing--as long as you cite them. As a matter of policy, any student found to have plagiarized any piece of writing in this class will be reported to the College of Arts and Sciences for review.

Complaints: 

If you have any concerns about the course or your instructor, please see the instructor about these concerns as soon as possible. If you are not comfortable talking with the instructor or not satisfied with the response that you receive, you may contact the Acting Director of the Creative Writing Program, Andrew Feld: aefeld@uw.edu. 

Accommodations: 

If you need accommodation of any sort, please let me know so that I can work with the UW Disability Resources for Students Office (DRS) to provide what you require. This syllabus is available in large print if needed. More information about accommodation available at http://www.washington.edu/students/drs/.

Religious Accommodations: 

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Faculty Syllabus Guidelines and Resources. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form available at https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/.

Face Coverings in the Classroom

The health and safety of the University of Washington community are the institution’s priorities. Please review and adhere to the UW COVID Face Covering Policy.

Campus Safety: 

Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others. SafeCampus’s team of caring professionals will provide individualized support, while discussing short- and long-term solutions and connecting you with additional resources when requested. Campus safety guards can walk with you on campus after dark. Call Husky NightWalk 206-685-WALK (9255). For more information visit the SafeCampus website at www.washington.edu/safecampus.

Counseling Center: 

UW Counseling Center workshops include a wide range of issues including study skills, thinking about coming out, international students and culture shock, and much more. Check out available resources and workshops at: https://www.washington.edu/counseling/.

Health & Wellness: 

Health & Wellness provides support, advocacy, consultation, and education to the University of Washington campus community. Services are free for UW students, faculty, and staff. You can work with advocates on your behalf or on behalf of someone you know. Programs include Alcohol & Drug Consultation and Education, Suicide Intervention, Sexual Assault, Relationship Violence, Stalking and Harassment Advocacy, and Student Care Program. For more information: http://depts.washington.edu/livewell/

Career Center: 

UW Career Center offers career counseling and planning, workshops and career fairs, a listing of part-time jobs on and off campus, and much more: http://careers.washington.edu/students

Q Center:

The University of Washington Q Center builds and facilitates queer (gay, lesbian, bisexual, two-spirit, trans, intersex, questioning, same-gender-loving, allies) academic and social community through education, advocacy, and support services to achieve a socially-just campus in which all people are valued. For more information, visit http://depts.washington.edu/qcenter/

FIUTS: 

Foundation for International Understanding through Students: FIUTS is an example of a campus organization that can bring together your social and academic learning. "FIUTS is an independent non-profit organization which provides cross-cultural leadership and social programming for UW's international and globally minded domestic students. FIUTS is local connections and global community!" Consult FIUTS' website for a detailed calendar of events and links to many resources http://www.fiuts.washington.edu 

Any Hungry Husky:

The Any Hungry Husky program helps mitigate the social and academic effects of campus food insecurity. By providing students, staff, and faculty with access to shelf-stable, non-perishable goods and community resources at no cost, this initiative aims to lessen the financial burden of purchasing food and supplement nutritional needs. This resource is for everyone in the UW community. Learn more here: http://www.washington.edu/anyhungryhusky/

Tentative Course Outline:

Below, you will find a **tentative** schedule for our course, including topics of study and assignments. Homework listed is due at the next class meeting unless otherwise noted. This calendar is subject to change based on class interests and pacing. The most up-to-date information can be found on our Canvas home page.