Spring 2007 Courses

ENGL 280-01: Craft of Writing: Poetry (Wang)

M/W/F 1:10-2:10pm, Old Main 003

Translation holds many keys to the process of poetry writing. So we will start this intermediate poetry workshop with Ezra Pond's essay, Chinese Character as a Media to Poetry and Cathy, a translation of ancient Chinese poetry that shook the poetry tradition in the West. Each student will choose one poem from any language (I assume every Macalester student knows at least one foreign language) and practice the art of translation as an apprentice to study the forms and modes of expression in poetry, and most importantly, the art of editing.

Apart from the traditional poetry, we’ll also pay special attention to prose poems, collages and fragments, and experiment with combining mixed genres (poetry, prose, drama, etc.), in other words, borrow from different genres. Through such a fusion of different voices, styles and crafts, we hope to expand our horizons and venture into new territories. Works from anthologies and individual collections will be studied closely as our guides to enter the world where raw materials are turned into art, where form and content sing in harmony.

Spring 2007 Course Listings