Poetry, With an Emphasis on Poetic Forms
What does THAT mean?
Three years ago, the All Souls Book Group spent about two weeks discussing various poems in an excellent anthology called The Making of a Poem. That was about twenty-two weeks too few, as this particular anthology is home to dozens of terrific poems, and with an emphasis on poetic form: what are the elements that go to make, for example, a sonnet, a ballad, a villanelle, among others. What gets repeated in a sestina, and where? How is the structure of a sonnet like an argument? Most wonderful, how are these forms expressive: how could an outward, inherited form, and a form often deriving from a culture not one’s own, finally make one’s inner experience sing?
Parishioner and book group member, Allan Campo, recently suggested we open this anthology again, and I think that’s a great idea. So we will take up where we left off—lo those many three years ago—starting with villanelles, then sestinas, then sonnets, and so on, looking at three examples of each form. The focus on form will give focus to our discussion, and our course generally will give those who have wanted to enhance their appreciation of poetry “a rich selection of exemplars” that “amply demonstrate the power and possibility of poetic form.” (From the back cover of The Making of a Poem, edited by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland.)
Where can I purchase this book?
The Making of a Poem is available at Accent on Books, on Merrimon Avenue, at discounted price, thanks to parishioner, Lewis Sorrells. Number at Accent: 828-252-6255.
Meeting Schedule:
Monday, March 14, 7 p.m., 1st floor conference room, Warner Building
Topic: The Villanelle. Participants are expected to have read pages xiii - 19 in The Making of a Poem. Villanelles we will focus on: Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” (p. 12); Elizabeth Bishop, “One Art” (p. 11); and James Merrill, “The World and the Child” (13).
Friday, March 18, 6 p.m., 1st floor conference room, Warner Building
Topic: The Making of a Poem: Elizabeth Bishop writes her villanelle, “One Art.” At this meeting we will listen to a recorded lecture by the poet, Ellen Bryant Voigt, about the process by which Elizabeth Bishop realized that all the messy pages she had been writing about loss and love would best be expressed by the villanelle. An exhilarating experience for Bishop, no doubt; an exhilarating lecture for us; and this is a meeting not to be missed.
Monday, March 21, 7 p.m., Owen Library
Topic: The Sestina. Participants are expected to have read pages 21 – 42 in The Making of a Poem. Sestinas we will focus on: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “Sestina: Of the Lady Pietra degli Scrovigni” (29); Rudyard Kipling, “Sestina of the Tramp-Royal” (33); and Elizabeth Bishop, “Sestina.” (For a copy of E. Bishop’s “Sestina,” please e-mail Emilie White at etwhite8@charter.net.)
Monday, March 28, 7 p.m., Owen Library
Topic: The Pantoum. Participants are expected to have read pages 43 to 54 in The Making of a Poem. Pantoums we will focus on: Austin Dobson, “In Town” (45); Carolyn Kizer, “Parents’ Pantoum” (48); and J. D. McClatchy, “The Method” (51).
How can I keep track of Book Group offerings?
For up-to-date information on Book Group offerings, please visit the Book Group page at the Cathedral Connection website: allsoulsconnection.org/groups/all-souls-book-group
What is the Kay Falk Literary Project, and how is the Book Group a part of it??
Please go to: www.thecsr.org/all-souls-book-group-resources
The All Souls Book Group is the nucleus of the Kay Falk Literary Project, which is centered at the Cathedral as part of its teaching mission. For more information, please contact Emilie White at etwhite8@charter.net. Newcomers are always welcome.