ENGL 122 PZ -Ritual Poetics Workshop

Institution: Pitzer

Description: How does a poem take shape in the space beyond the page? In this course, we will explore and practice embodied, procedural, and performance-based approaches to the composition of poetry. We will read and discuss the work of poets who have incorporated rituals as part of their writing, including daily practices, repetitive acts, and time-based experiments. Potential readings include Bernadette Mayer’s Midwinter Day, an entire book composed in a single day; Edgar Garcia’s Skins of Columbus, decolonial poems based on dreams the author had after reading Columbus’ journal entries before going to bed; CAConrad’s Amanda Paradise: Resurrect Extinct Vibration, poems written from a ritual that involves listening to field recordings of extinct and endangered species; Ko Un’s Ten Thousand Lives, in which the author attempts to describe every person he has ever met; and the performance-based work of Cecilia VicuÃ±a. Students will undertake their own experiments in order to compose weekly poems and a final project. In workshop, students will regularly share writing and provide feedback to support the work of their peers.

For up-to-date information on current course offerings and details, please refer to the Pitzer class schedule on MyCampus2 Portal.