Course Description
Summary
Though poetry was an oral art form before it was anything else, its contemporary relationship to performance is varied and complex. What does it mean to write a poem that comes alive in the air? What happens to poems when they become embodied? And how have questions of race, class, gender, and sexuality historically shaped (and been shaped by) the work at the intersection of poetry and performance?
This course explores poetry writing for/as performance, including works that might be categorized as “spoken word poetry” as well as those that sit far outside of that designation. Course readings will span various schools and eras (including the Beats, the Black Arts Movement, sound poetry, Def Poetry Jam, and more) in addition to works that blur the genres of poetry, performance art, and theater. Students will critically analyze works of poetry, engage in writing and performance activities in class, and exchange feedback on each other’s work. This is a critical class with a significant creative component, which will culminate in a final performance open to the campus community. No previous coursework is required, though some experience with reading and writing poetry will be assumed.
