Many fiction writers read poetry avidly and carefully, and some say that they will read poems immediately before sitting down to write. In this class, we’ll read poems and examine how their effects can transcend genre, offering ways to sharpen our images, to attune our rhythms, to play with metaphor, and to take calculated (and sometimes uncalculated) risks with language. In addition to lineated poetry, we’ll look at some prose poems such as those by Victoria Chang that contain characters and strong narrative elements, as well as poetry and prose work by authors like Ocean Vuong and Jorge Luis Borges who are accomplished in both genres.

We’ll do a series of exercises that will help writers feel comfortable weaving back and forth, as well as lingering in the middle ground between poetry and prose. Writers who might benefit from this class are poets looking to branch out into prose, prose writers who like poetry but occasionally feel daunted by it, and anyone who wants to expand their reading/writing palette.