How is a stance toward writing poetry a model for living one’s life? How can the act of writing spontaneously deepen one’s intuition/guidance/connection to one’s more noble self? In six weeks we’ll investigate several post WWII stances toward spontaneous composition, read essays, poems, engage in writing exercises, discussion and have related outside-of-class activities suggested to deepen one’s relation to this stance.
Ideally participants would read materials in advance of the regular session and come ready to discuss.
Week Four, October 24-25, 2020
Questions, comments, criticisms, rebuttals.
Recommended essays:
On sale for Poetics as Cosmology participants for a limited time.
Land, Earth, Soil, Dirt: Some Notes Towards a Sense of Place by Tom Jay (Book with this essay discounted for workshop participants now. Click the book cover image.) ———————————————>>>>>>>>>>
Read Allen Ginsberg’s – Mind Writing Slogans.
Listen to 2002 Eileen Myles interview. (AT LEAST cuts 15 and 16.)
Listen to Diane di Prima read Rant.
Discuss writer’s date, share poems.
Writing exercise: HAIBUN.
Homework to be done AFTER week FOUR and BEFORE week FIVE:
Write down sixteen words that relate to your own personal mythology that are TOUCH-oriented. Do not use abstractions and use the most specific term. Instead of fabric, perhaps it’s FLANNEL or SILK. Do make this exercise a meditation.
Write at least three Haibun. You could write this after your Artist’s Date or any kind of trip outside the house these days. Try to keep the haiku part haiku length. If you like the Berrigan Collage Sonnets, go with that.
Take yourself on an ARTIST’S DATE, going solo, to a cultural event (if possible) or watch an art film or live JAZZ CONCERT online (the Villagevanguard.com is streaming) OR go to do a health experience you have never done, or have not done in a while, such as Community Acupuncture, Massage, Craniosacral Therapy, Reiki, or go to a Tarot Card reader, psychic, something of that nature. You can do a reading for yourself at www.Facade.com. Try the Runes, my go-to divination. Maybe look at a video from the Cascadia Poetry Fest on Youtube. You could listen to my Spotify playlist “Not Technically Blues.” You can write a poem about the experience if so inclined or use the playlist as background to write. Or, as mentioned in the Saturday Week 3 workshop, try Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington.