Poetry Exercise: The Cut-up

This assignment was submitted by Frances Richard, a poet and art writer who teaches at Barnard College in New York.

Here’s a poetry exercise that basically guarantees a lively in-class writing session and also helps students to disrupt habitual writing patterns, get away from cliché, and expand their imaginative use of language.

You’ll need to do a bit of hunting and gathering (or have your students bring supplies for themselves). Needed are:
* A pair of scissors for each person in class
* Blank paper
* Glue sticks
* An assortment of printed matter—the weirder and more motley the better. My best score was a stack of economic-development journals being deaccessioned by the Barnard Library. The recycling bin beside a copy machine is a good source too. Continue reading “Poetry Exercise: The Cut-up”

Praise Song for the Day: Elizabeth Alexander’s Inaugural Poem

Elizabeth Alexander was the fourth poet to be invited to read an inaugural poem at the swearing-in of a new American president (the others were Robert Frost at JFK’s ceremony [1961]; and Maya Angelou [1993] and Miller Williams [1997] at each of Bill Clinton’s ceremonies). It’s notoriously difficult, as reported by NPR’s Melissa Block and Salon’s blogger Jim Fisher, to write an ‘occasional poem’—a poem for a specific event. The best poets in this genre might be English poets of yore, such as John Milton, Samuel Johnson, and Andrew Marvell, whose livelihood sometimes relied on writing and performing such poems for a benefactor. Sandwiched between Barack Obama’s powerful speech, and Joseph Lowery’s spirited benediction, Alexander’s poem was challenged to live up to its potential as a nuanced, invigorating, and relevant form of expression. According to LA Times critic David L. Ulin, Salon writer Alex Koppelman and Poetry Foundation Commentators, she had mixed success. Do you think Alexander’s poem “Praise Song for the Day” rose to the occasion? Take our poll at the end of this post. Continue reading “Praise Song for the Day: Elizabeth Alexander’s Inaugural Poem”

Teaching Poetry

Welcome to the Teaching Poetry blog, where you will find teaching tips and amusing—if not downright helpful—stories from poetry teachers across North America. Links on the right will take you to popular teaching materials including Bedford/St. Martin’s books, instructors’ blogs, and other useful resources. Teacher spotlights will give you a more in-depth look at people’s favorite approaches to poetry from east to west, north to south.

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Joelle Hann is a senior editor at Bedford/St.Martin’s who worked on the third edition of Helen Vendler’s Poems, Poets, Poetry, and originally created the Teaching Poetry blog in 2009.