Revision is an important part of creative writing. In some ways, the revision process is where the real creative process begins.This post offers instructions for revisions and the  Revision Note required for this second round. Those who are turning in late assignments will not have the chance to revise them again.

Revisions and late papers are due by the end of the day on Tuesday, March 22. Revisions and late papers must be turned in on time. No poetry assignments will accepted after that day.

If you wish to review the original Poetry Assignment, look HERE.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR REVISION:

• Read my comments on your work on Blackboard.
• Reread your own work aloud to yourself or to a listener if you have it (friend, relative, pet, etc.) You can read in person, on the phone, on FaceTime, or in any manner. The act of hearing your own words aloud is the important piece.
• Make changes on your work as you see necessary.
• At the top of your revision, write a Revision Note following the instructions below. (Revisions submitted without this letter will not be considered for a higher grade.) Though I must understand what you are stating, grammar is not a part of the assessment for the Revision Note.
• Why am I asking for a Revision Note? See  below.
• Submit the revision with the Revision Note to Blackboard on time in the Major Assignments folder which will reopen on Sunday, March 20 and close at the end of the day on Tuesday, March 22 when all revisions and late papers will be graded.

Revision Note

1. 1. 1. In the first paragraph, tell the reader what you intend the poems to do for the reader. Reflect on the purpose or the effect you want the overall assignment to have on the readers. You might also write about how comments from your peers or the instructor might have helped you and which class resources might have helped you, such as the readings or class discussions.
      2. In the second paragraph, describe the your process of working on the revision. Tell the reader what changes you made on this revision and why. This will let me know how to compare the new draft you are turning in with the first draft to consider the effort you’ve made when I reconsider the assignment grade.

 

Writers,

Just a reminder that the Poetry Assignment folder, which is open on Blackboard, will close at 11:59 Tuesday, March 15. Upload your poems before that time. As was discussed the past week, writers who submit assignments submitted on time will have an opportunity to revise their work.

A direct link to instructions for the Poetry Assignment is here: Poetry Assignment. Remember, you are turning in two poems that explore two different forms of poetry discussed in this class.

Poetry Assignment

Assignment Description

In class we have discussed and read examples of the following poetic forms:

• Sestina
• Pantoum
• Abecedarian
• Free verse

You have also practiced them—with some impressive results–on class discussion boards and in class. A complete review of the poetic forms is in this post: Review of Poetic Forms and Poetic Terms

For this assignment, you will create, workshop, and revise two different poetic forms, based on our exploration of these forms through reading and writing exercises. You can use work you’ve already posted in our class as starting points for your submission.

 Submission Requirements

For this assignment, you must submit two poems exploring  two different forms we’ve discussed in class. You can develop poems you’ve already started in class through exercises and on the discussion boards. Or, you can start new poems using the guidelines for each form that we have discussed.

Each of the following count as one poem:

1. 1 complete sestina with a title: 6 stanzas of 6 lines, and one 3 line envoi (39 lines total) with a title
2. 1 complete pantoum with a title: 4 stanzas of four lines (16 lines total) with a title
3. 1 abedecarian poem with a title: the whole alphabet (26 lines long)
4. 1 free verse poem with a title: at least 15 lines long

Note: for the assignment, you must explore two different options. For example, your might turn in one free verse and one pantoum. Or, one abecedarian and one sestina.

Due Dates

To do well on the assignment

• Observe the submission requirements and turn in a complete assignment
• Show effort and thoughtfulness in your writing. This is an introductory course. You are not expected to be an expert poet. You are expected to show that you are trying.
• Show general understanding of the specific poetic forms you have chosen
• Participate in the Peer Review  and reviewing your peers’ work in class on Thursday, March 10.
• Turn the assignment by the end of the day on Tuesday, March 15 on Blackboard. If you turn the assignment in on time, you will have time to revise your work.

Lateness and Revision Policy

Revisions

If you turn in the work on SafeAssign on time, you will have one chance to revise the assignment. Instructions for revisions will be provided.

Late Assignments

If you do not turn in the assignment on the due date on Blackboard, you can turn in your assignment on the revision due date. Late papers do not lose points for being late. You will, however, lose your chance to revise your work.

Poetry Assignment Grading Rubric

Poetry Rubric Fall 2021

 

The abecedarian form and The form: an abecedarian is a poetic form that uses the alphabet (for our course we are using the English alphabet). Many students in this class have enjoyed this form as it can be less constricting than the other forms we have tried, but has some structure to start you off.

Read this example of an abecedarian from our OpenLab site by the Native American poet Natalie Diaz. Notice the lettering on the far left of each line if your read it down spells out the English alphabet:

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/sears-eng-1141-course-readings-and-materials/2021/02/24/poetic-form-abecedarian-by-natalie-diaz/

This more experimental abecedarian by John Bosworth also works its way through the letter Z:

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/sears-eng-1141-course-readings-and-materials/2021/02/25/poetic-form-abedarian-by-john-bosworth/

Here also is a description of the abecedarian form from the Poetry Foundation with some more examples:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/abecedarian

After exploring the above examples and descriptions, try to write an abecderian poem working your way through the letter Z. The lines can be any length. You can certainly use a dictionary for ideas for those pesky letters: q, x, and z. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

To get started, you might do a free write by trying any one of the writing prompts on Writers Notebook Poetry Prompts or do the free writing class we were going to do in class: The Last Time I Saw You. For that freewrite, you begin writing for five minutes with that phrase: the last time I saw you…….if you get stuck, write the phrase again: the last time I saw you and keep going.

After you have written your abecedarian, post it on the Discussion Board: HERE.

Also see the items in the To-Do List: Abecedarian Form. The discussion board is also listed there.

 

 

 

 

 

Below is a list of the poetic terms and forms we’ve discussed in course activities and lectures:

• Abecdarian (to be discussed on Tuesday, March 2) 1) How to Write an Abecedarian, Part 1; 2) How to Write an Abecdarian, Part 2: Examples
• Free Verse: 1) Free Verse, Part 1: Description; 2) Free Verse, Part 2: Examples on this Site;  (also here)
• Pantoum: 1) How to Write a Pantoum, Part 1 2) How to Write a Pantoum, Part 2: Examples on this site
• Repetition
• Sestina: 1)  How to Write A Sestina, Part 1; 2) How to Write a Sestina, Part 2 (Descriptions); 3) How to Write a Sestina Sestina 4) Sestina Examples on this site
• Spoken Word: 1) Spoken Word, Part 1: Description 2) Spoken Word, Part 2: Examples on this site

For the Poetry Quiz on Thursday, March 3:

Here is what to study for the short answer and multiple choice section of the quiz:

• How many lines are in a complete pantoum?
• How many lines are in a complete sestina?
• Be ready to describe and/or recognize through multiple choice definitions of the following terms: Metaphor, Poesis, Simile, Stanza, Teleuton,

You will also be asked to  brainstorm and freewrite on a a designated topic incorporating one simile or metaphor. (1 paragraph) This free write does not have to be a poem.