Have you ever had the experience of reading a book of poetry and finding your imagination in alignment with the poet’s? Poetry can be contagious, it can infuse the reader with another consciousness, another perspective, even another voice. This course will invite participants to explore the styles of selected poets to refresh one’s own writing.

Format: Each week a facilitator or member of the class will present poems by a contemporary poet and comment on elements of their style. We’ll consider rhyme, meter, simile, metaphor, alliteration, assonance, structure, form, tone, etc. We will use the time between classes to compose our own poetry, drawing from that inspiration. The goal is not to mimic but to immerse ourselves in the words of another and use those words to inspire our writing. Starting with the second class, participants will present their poems during the first hour. In the second hour, class members will present the work of a new poet from a list of contemporary writers for next week’s writing exercise.

Resources/Expenses: No expected expenses. The poetry can likely be printed off the Internet. We will strive to forward poems by email before class.