The Sweep of the Universe: Writing with Millennia of South Asian Poetry
The breadth and reach of South Asian poetry is almost unimaginably vast, encompassing six major religions, hundreds of languages, diverse geographies, and millennia of time. But much of this rich tradition is inaccessible to western writers. This part-generative, part-analytical course will survey its arc by examining its various forms and movements over the centuries—from ancient Sanskrit religious texts to Urdu political resistance poetry. We’ll use these works from other times and places to create our own universe of inspired pieces.
Payment plans are available for this class. Please email education@hugohouse.org to get a payment plan started.
Registration dates:
August 7: Scholarship Donation Day
August 8: Member registration opens at 10:30 am
August 15: General registration opens at 10:30 am
August 21: Last day of Early Bird pricing
Shankar Narayan
Shankar Narayan explores identity, power, mythology, and technology in a world where the body is flung across borders yet possesses unrivaled power to transcend them. Shankar is a five-time Pushcart Prize nominee and the winner of prizes and fellowships from Kundiman, Hugo House, Jack Straw, Flyway, and River Heron. He is a 4Culture grant recipient for Claiming Space, a project to lift the voices of writers of color, and his chapbook, Postcards From the New World, won the Paper Nautilus Debut Series chapbook prize. Shankar draws strength from his global upbringing and from his work at the intersection of civil rights and technology. In Seattle, he awakens to the wonders of Cascadia every day, but his heart yearns east to his other hometown, Delhi. Connect with him at shankarnarayan.net.
