“But This, This, This”: Writing the Long Poem [Jane Wong] — Cancelled

In a poem tumbling over numerous pages, H.D. writes, “too much: but this, this, this.” We’ll revel in length, experimenting with various forms of the long poem, including the sequence and the epic. To help us write our own long poems, we will read and respond to selections from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, H.D.’s The Walls Do Not Fall, Nathaniel Mackey’s “Song of the Andoumboulou,” C.D. Wright’s One Big Self, and more. How can a long poem sustain its energy? What is the role of narrative in a long poem? Supported by instructor and peer feedback, students will write a long poem of their own, at least ten pages. It’s time to get epic!