Before class on Wednesday, April 13, students will do the following…

  • Finish making comments on all stories posted on the Google Doc (check your City Tech email for Week 10 for this doc) by class time on Wednesday, April 13. (Stories posted on the doc after midnight on April 6 do not have to be commented upon!)
  • Read my introduction of voice & style in poetry (and other genres) on the Announcement page.
  • Watch Staceyann Chin’s “Tsunami Rising.”
  • Find four poems from Layli Long Soldier’s collection of poetry, Whereas, that you enjoy/find intriguing.
    • Hint: It’s the book I handed out during Weeks 8 and 10!
    • Be ready to share/discuss them in small groups!

During class on Wednesday, we will…

  • We’ll have an open mic to share our short stories in small groups! (This activity is optional, though definitely encouraged!)
  • Discuss voice & style in poetry and Chin’s poem/reading.
    • How is reading her poetry different from watching it?
  • Watch parts of the City Tech Literary Arts Festival’s featured poet, Layli Long Soldier, read from her collection.
  • Discuss the four poems from Whereas that you found interesting.
    • What did you enjoy?
  • Talk about the act of writing poetry:
    • Have you written poetry before?
    • What was your experience?
  • We’ll look at a few poetry-writing prompts from Poets & Writers and practice writing.

During and after class, students will…

  • Go to this website. It’s a site that has writing prompts for poetry. Each prompt has a poem. There are several, so survey the prompts and then choose at least four you’re attracted to.
  1. Read the prompt and poem carefully. Read the poems first for enjoyment, then examine how each poet “does it.” What’s their style? Formal, conversational, something in between? What’s their voice? How do they express their unique self?
  2. Next, I want you to match the poet’s style and voice with your own words (not copy, of course, but try to follow their word choices–if they use slang, use slang, if they have rhythm or rhyme, use rhythm or rhyme). See if it works. If it does, great, but if it doesn’t, don’t stress. Look at other poems and prompts.
  3. You will compose four poems. The first draft of your poems need to be ready by April 27!

Future deadlines…

  • Next week is Spring Break! Don’t forget about this class, though!
  • Keep writing your own poetry using the Poets & Writers website. Be ready to share what you’ve created with your Cohort!
  • Revise your second short story and post it by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, April 27. Title it Full Name, Short Story 2 (Revised) and save it under the category Short Stories.