Schedule Update

 A slightly revised schedule of assignments for the next week or two:

January

27 O'Hara con't

29 Wed   O'Hara con't

Creative Project 1 small group workshop: bring a hard copy (typed) to share

February

3 Mon Herman Rapaport, selections from The Literary Theory Toolkit (EMUOnline)

5 Wed  Harryette Mullen, Sleeping with the Dictionary (read all and come prepared to discuss; choose 2-3 poems/pieces and share your ideas and responses)

*Creative Project 1 Due (hard copy due in class)

 10 Mon African-American Avant Garde: possible selections from Mackey, Baraka, Tisa Bryant, Oppositional Poetics  (EMUOnline)

12 Wed (con’t)

Critical Response 1 Due

Jan 27

O'Hara Second Avenue

Using the various resources and contextualizing information, etc., discuss the poem in your group and prepare points to share with the class.

1. Choose a section of 20 or so lines and do a close reading. A close reading is one in which you literally interpret every word, phrase, and line, and look up references, definitions and etc. This is not in order to get at a single meaning, but in fact to see possible ways of reading the words and lines toward possible meanings. Make notes in the margins, underline, write definitions and clarifying info on the text. Go through and discuss word by word/ line by line but don't worry about making a meaning or coming to a particular explanation of the whole section. Focus on the pieces one at a time.

2. Choose another 2-3 sections of 2-20 lines or so and discuss them in terms of other more general things (tone, style, emotion or feeling, sounds, associative qualities, process, practice, form (vs content or form as content).

3. Offer some comments on the whole of this work in terms of what it does, how it functions, how it is a poem and a poetics/praxis (theory and practice). Don't worry about meaning or explicating the whole poem as a narrative, but think about the relation between form and content, O'Hara as a poet, musician, and as involved in the visual art world, and the kinds of things you think about after all of this reading the poem and reading about the poem, etc.

Additional notes:

Consider the connotative and denotative elements of the text, language

Think about syntax and juxtaposition, parataxis and hypotaxis, the influence of visual art including collage and montage, fragmentation and form

Frank O'Hara and Painting - some links and info

Jackson Pollack: (google images)

Willem de Kooning: (google images)

Grace Hartigan: (google images)

Surrealism in poetry: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5673

Symbolism in poetry: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5674

Additional short info on Symbolism, Imagism, Modernism: http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Poetic_Modes.htm

In imitation of O'Hara's Second Avenue: http://www.shampoopoetry.com/ShampooTwentythree/gordon.html

DuPlessis reading her essay on Second Avenue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am3cpzcu8aw

This week Jan 22

In preparation for class on Wed. I suggest the following order of reading:

1. Read about Frank O'Hara here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/frank-ohara (make sure to read down to the discussion on Second Avenue and etc)
also, I've posted O'Hara's "Personism" on EMU Online which helps to contextualize his poetics and character, and may  make reading Second Avenue a bit more accessible (you have to find the humor and conversational tone in the piece(s)) and then ...

2. read DuPlessis's short essay on O'Hara's Second Avenue: https://jacket2.org/article/frank-ohara-second-avenue
(this is also listed on the syllabus)

3. Finally, read or read again O'hara's Second Avenue posted under Doc Sharing (EMU Online). This is a long poem, and dense. Focus on a few passages that seem interesting, relevant, or that you can say something about. Bring your ideas and examples to class.

4. I will post the short piece [Notes to Second Avenue] later today, which gives a little more context too.

Internship Fair

This is a reminder that our Internship Fair will be held next Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014 from 12 pm - 3 pm in the Student Center Grand Ballroom.  Please share this information with your faculty, and ask that they pass the information on to their students.  This will be an excellent opportunity for students to meet with employers who will be offering Internships during the school year and in the summer.  (Some may also have employment opportunities!) 

Student registration link:  https://emuinternshipfair2014.eventbrite.com

Any questions can be directed to me at mfallot@emich.edu or 7-5621.

Thank you for your support!
Mary Jane Fallot

Welcome to the Gateway to Creative Writing Blog Page

Here you will find announcements, updates, links, and etc. info for CRTW 300 Winter 2014. Your assignment for the first week of class is posted on EMU Online and copied here:


On EMU Online, in the course shell for CRTW 300, under Doc Sharing please find the syllabus, the assignment for Wed., Jan 8, and the reading assignment (pdf) for Mon., Jan 13. Read the syllabus carefully and be sure you understand the policies and requirements for this course.

We do not have class on Wed., Jan 8 because I will be out of town for a conference. You have a multi-part assignment due by 5pm on Wed., Jan 8: set up a personal blog, do the writing assignment as detailed on the assignment sheet (Doc Sharing), post this on your blog, and email me the blog address (copy and paste the url). I will post the list of blogs so everyone can see them after I have received the links. (If you have a blog from a previous creative writing course you may use the same one for this class.) Please note: Completion of this assignment is crucial to starting this semester strong.

For next week, read the pdf (Bernstein) and come to class prepared to discuss points and passages from the text. Bring the text with you (printed with notes and highlighting so that you can share passages and participate in discussion).