Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

This module explores a wide range of contemporary poetry, chosen to be of interest to students who write across different styles of poetry. It focusses on diversity and reflects the current cultural, social and ecological concerns and debates. This includes exploring poetry from minority voices, looking at gender, sexuality, ethnicity and also concerns about identity and relationships with the world around us. The seminars will focus on the close reading of selected poems, discussion of key features in form and theme, and participation in short exercises. Workshops will give students the opportunity to share work and ideas and reflect upon feedback.
On this module, students will develop their knowledge and understanding of current poetry and its context within poetry as a whole. They will have an opportunity to give a ten minute presentation on a living poet’s work and relate this to their own approach to writing poetry. Students will develop the habit of keeping a poetry notebook, collecting ideas and writing materials daily. They will submit an extended poetry portfolio, which allows a greater engagement with longer poems or sequence of poems, along with a short commentary based on their reflective poetry notebook.

Seminar Programme:
session 1. Introduction to module. 21st century voices:
Exploring current debate on confessional poetry and mainstream and minority voices (inclusive of race, ethnicity & LGBT) Close reading and discussion. Exercise on reflective poetry notebook.
session 2. Workshop and feedback exercises on confessional poetry and current debate.
Session 3. Place and poetry:
Exploring City poetry and Radical landscape poetry. Introducing concepts of psychogeography, ecocriticism, and identity with place. Close reading and discussion on current debate. Exercise on memory and place.
Session 4. Workshop poem based on research and fieldwork. Discussion on feedback, and reflective exercise.
Session 5. Sequences:
Exploring repeating themes and forms and the practicalities of writing a sequence of poems. Close reading, discussion and reflective exercise.
Session 6. Workshop poem as part of a sequence. Discussion and reflective feedback exercise on sequences.
Session 7. Bare bones sonnet: is it a sonnet?
Exploring issues around reinventing traditional forms. Close reading and discussion on 21st century sonnets. Exercise in reinvention of non-rhyming sonnet.
Session 8. Workshop reinvented sonnet. Feedback and reflective discussion and exercises.
Session 9. Say it like this!
Exploring Performance poetry. Close reading and watching recorded performance poems. Discussing sound elements and presentation of poems.
session 10. Workshop and performance. Round up and reflection.