POET 92 W — Make It Sing: Poetry Workshop
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): D.S. Waldman
Date(s): Jan 15—Mar 19
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—6:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jan 17
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Closed
Quarter: Winter
Day: Thursdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 5:30—6:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 15—Mar 19
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jan 17
Instructor(s): D.S. Waldman
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Closed
The poet Robert Pinsky writes, “A memorable sentence gives its emotion a melodic shape. You want to hear it again, say it—in a way, to hum it to yourself.” This course is about transforming thoughts, experiences, and emotions into language that sings—words that vibrate, hum, and lift off the page.
We will study melodic poetry by Louise Glück, Ada Limón, Ross Gay, Carl Phillips, Elizabeth Bishop, and others, exploring how prosody, idiom, syntax, and even the occasional rhyme can shape poems that linger in the ear. Each week will focus on a key poetic device and include a generative prompt designed to spark creativity and deepen your craft. Students will share drafts in small groups and exchange written feedback. The instructor will provide detailed, constructive responses to each poem.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a portfolio of new poems and tools with which to continue crafting musical, memorable work. We’ll close with a conversation about revision, publication, and how to sustain a writing practice beyond the classroom.
We will study melodic poetry by Louise Glück, Ada Limón, Ross Gay, Carl Phillips, Elizabeth Bishop, and others, exploring how prosody, idiom, syntax, and even the occasional rhyme can shape poems that linger in the ear. Each week will focus on a key poetic device and include a generative prompt designed to spark creativity and deepen your craft. Students will share drafts in small groups and exchange written feedback. The instructor will provide detailed, constructive responses to each poem.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a portfolio of new poems and tools with which to continue crafting musical, memorable work. We’ll close with a conversation about revision, publication, and how to sustain a writing practice beyond the classroom.
D.S. WALDMAN
Author
D.S. Waldman is the author of the poetry collection Atria. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Zyzzyva, and many other publications. He is a former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford and recipient of the Poetry Society of America's Lucille Medwick Memorial Award. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.