Final Presentations

Just a reminder that we will meet today (December 11, 2007) at 2:15 pm in CH-325.

ELO 2008 Conference: Visionary Landscapes

If anyone is writing about an e-poem and would like to propose your paper for a presentation at this conference, I am including the link to the official Website: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/programs/dtc/elo08/index.html

Their deadline date for proposals for presentations, workshops, and other types of events has been extended to December 16, 2007.

Feel free to contact me with questions or seeking feedback on your paper. Of course, you'll be getting feedback on the 11th. . .

Here's a copy of my proposal for the conference.

Deadline Extension

Greetings to all,

I have received several e-mails requesting a deadline extension for Essay #3. Very well. The deadline for both the self-evaluation and Essay #3 is Friday, December 7 before noon in my mailbox in the English Department.

Leo

Don't forget the End of Semester Survival Guide

Just scroll down to reach it.

Presentation Schedule

Wednesday, November 18

Ahiesha	Karen
Lidsay	Natalie
Maria	Janice
Blanca	Zaira
Jennifer	Gerardo

Tuesday, December 11

Castelar	Sharon
Viviana	Antonio
Sandra	Stella
Wi Hong	Wilmarie
Cristina

Sources

Check out the following sources for your next paper:

http://www.ubu.com/papers

I recommend this essay to those working on performance poetry:

http://www.ubu.com/papers/rothenberg_performance.pdf

For those working on electronic poems, here's a great resource:

New on the Electronic Book Review: Electropoetics

In the latest selection from the Electronic Book Review [http://www.electronicbookreview.com], Associate Editor Lori Emerson brings together both critics and creators of electronic poetry, some of whom established themselves at the very start and many more who are recent entrants in the field of electronic literature. Essays on print poetry as well as born digital poetry help to situate the field in both a trans-disciplinary and trans-national context.

The collection (more than twenty essays in all) includes three review-essays on the Electronic Literature Collection (volume 1), published by the ELO: "How to Think (with) Thinkertoys" by Adalaide Morris; "Letters That Matter" by John Zuern; and "Electronic Literature circa WWW (and Before)" by Chris Funkhouser.

New essays on and by Douglas Barbour, Michael Barrett, Greg Betts, Christof Bruno, Charles Bernstein, Stephen Cain, Robert Creeley, Clayton Eshleman, Alan Fisher, Eduardo Kac, Hugh Kenner, Walter Benn Michaels, Jay Murphy, Janet Neigh, Soren Pold, Christopher Nolan, Jaishree Odin, Tom Raworth, Maggie O'Sullivan, Stephanie Strickland, Angela Szczepaniak, Steve Tomasula, Eugene Thacker.

Enjoy!

End of Semester Survival Guide

Here's a list of the assignments and things to do to wrap up our course:

1. Essay #3: Analysis of poem(s) in the context of their medium. Final printed draft due the last day of class: November 28.

• As promised, here is a description of a creative option: You may produce a poetic performance, audio recording, or electronic version of a poem you have written. This must be accompanied by a short essay (4-6) pages in which you discuss how the medium shapes the work in meaningful ways, touching on elements of textual and new media writing theories that support your discussion.
• Suggestions for works to analyze:
• Sound recordings: Dylan Thomas, sound poetry available at Ubu Web, performance poetry pieces or albums, rap songs or albums, other spoken word performances.
• Video recordings: performance poems at YouTube, Google Video, or other video hosting services, Def Poetry Jam performances or episodes, live poetry readings (record audio or video as evidence).
• Electronic poetry: Poem(s) found in Poems that Go, the Electronic Literature Organization Directory, the Electronic Poetry Center, or the Electronic Literature Collection.
• Research keywords: electronic poetry, digital poetry, Matthew Kirschenbaum, N. Katherine Hayles, Jerome McGann, Johanna Drucker, Marjorie Perloff, Marshall McLuhan.
• Resources: Ubu Web, Electronic Book Review, Electronic Literature Organization, and your professor Flores and his collection of books on the subject.
  
• E-mail me a proposal by November 21.

2. Self Evaluation of Assignments and Presentations. Due on Friday, November 30 by 4:15 pm at the English Department.

• Write a 1-page evaluation of your work this semester on assignments and presentations.
• Use the blog archives as a reference for what was required on each class.
• Provide whatever evidence you have and describe the work you don't have evidence for.

3. Final presentations on one of the essays you wrote for this class (you choose):

• Presentations should last no longer than 10 minutes.
• Your presentation will be evaluated according to the following criteria: conciseness, clarity, and time-management.
  
• The dates for sign up are the following:
• Wednesday, November 18 (aka "last day of class") - 10 presentations: Ahiesha, Lidsay, and Maria will present on this date, leaving 7 spots available.
• Tuesday, December 11 (aka "day of the final") - 9 presentations = 9 spots available.
• Sign up for the presentations by replying to this posting with the date of your presentation.
• The spots will be filled on a first-come first serve basis. When one of the two dates is filled, the rest of the people will go on the other date.

4. Bring me your graded copy of Essay #1 on the last day of class. I need to check grades in my roster.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

E-Poetry Sites for November 15 Class

Instructions: Sign up by commenting on this posting and naming the title of the poem you've selected. There can only be two people per poem, with the exception of David Knoebel's Click Poems, in which case only one person can work on it. Read the comments to know what poems are available and which ones are taken, so to speak.

For the next class, you should read all the assigned poems, but really focus on the poem you chose. I recommend you contact the other person that chose the same poem as you and discuss the poem before class. Come prepared to present briefly the poem, how it employs the capabilites of electronic media, and offer at least an initial reading/interpretation of it. Pay special attention to the context of the other works by the poet you have chosen as a context that may inform your own analysis of the poem.

Stephanie Strickland: www.stephaniestrickland.com:

• The Ballad of Sand and Harry Soot
• V:Vniverse
• Slipping Glimpse
• Errand Upon Which We Came

Jim Andrews: www.vispo.com:

• Stir Fry Texts
• Arteroids
• Nio

David Knoebel: http://home.ptd.net/~clkpoet/:

• Words in Space: "Oh" and "A Fine View"
• Words: "Thoughts Go," "Antonymy Lessons," and "How I Heard it"
• The Click Poems: read all of them (they're short)-- just one person: no collaboration
  

English 6058: Beyond the Anthology: Poetry and Its Contexts

Essay #3: Media as Context

Description and Goals

The purpose of this essay is to explore a poem (or group of poems) in the context of its medium of publication (other than a book) by an author, in order to inform its analysis, interpretation, and/or teaching. The contexts discussed up to this point in the course are still relevant and should be researched, but the focus of your analysis should be on the context of its publication medium or media. In order to put the theory and research into practice, you have two options to fulfill this assignment:

1. Write an essay in which you analyze and interpret a poem (or small group of poems), informed by the contexts specified above. Your essay's thesis should be an interpretation of the poem(s) supported by analysis of its textual elements as informed by research into the contexts relevant to the poem and it should employ a clear theoretical perspective.
2. Write an essay about how to teach a poem (or small group of poems) employing the contexts specified above, and informed by a clear theoretical perspective. You must specify what population you wish to teach the poem(s) to as well as having clear educational goals. Based on this, your thesis should state the contexts you consider would be most relevant to achieve your educational objective with that target audience. Prepare a small unit of lesson plans (about 3) as an example of how you would teach the poem(s).

Parameters

1. Your primary research should be on the medium or media used to publish the poem(s) and other contexts that can inform the analysis of the poem(s).
   
2. You may choose any kind of multimedia packaging, such as audio recording, Web site, video recorded performances, or e-poetry collection.
3. Your essay should be informed by research and literary theory. You may find, however that little has been written on media-specific analysis. I am at your service, if you need help. The quality of the research will be a factor in the evaluation, so I encourage you to use peer-refereed journals in your research. As far as theory is concerned, you don't need to align yourself with a specific theoretical perspective-- you can mix and match, if you are so inclined-- but you should be up front as to what your theoretical inclinations are. I recommend you write a statement of your theoretical position before you write your essay to guide your research and thought about the poem(s), and incorporate a version of this into your theoretical discussion that should be part of the essay.
4. The essay should be approximately 1500-2000 words in length (6-8 pages), including lesson plans or supplementary materials. It should be formatted and documented in impeccable MLA Format (here's a good online resource, if you don't own a copy of the MLA Handbook: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/printable/557/).
5. Proposal: E-mail me a brief description of what you plan to do for this essay. Specify the option you chose, the poem(s) you chose (if you chose a small group of poems, explain the rationale for the selection and/or grouping), and provide a tentative thesis. This is due by Wednesday, November 14. It's okay to change your topic, poem(s) and/or thesis after that-- your proposal is not cast in stone-- but let me know of radical departures from the proposal.
   
6. The essay is due on Wednesday, November 28. Turn in a printed version at the beginning of class.

Evaluation

Your essay will be evaluated holistically, taking into consideration the following criteria:

• Fulfillment of the assignment
  
• Engagement with the poem(s)
• Use of relevant contexts
  
• Quality of the research
• Logical development of the argument
• Sentence structure, grammar, usage, and mechanics
  

Your essay will receive a letter grade, numerically interpretable on a 4-point scale. No revisions will be allowed, so please seek help before the essay is due, if needed.

Readings for November 7 Class

1. Go to www.vispo.com and read the following e-poems: "Seattle Drift," "Stir Fry Texts," "Nio," and play "Arteroids."
2. Go to http://home.ptd.net/~clkpoet/ and read the following e-poems:

• Words in Space: "Oh" and "A Fine View"
• Words: "Thoughts Go," "Antonymy Lessons," and "How I Heard it"
• The Click Poems: read all of them (they're short)

3. Read "Electronic Literature: What is it?" at http://eliterature.org/pad/elp.html

Halloween Potluck

Since next class will fall on the Celtic New Year, aka Halloween, let us follow Stella's suggestion and take the opportunity to share some refreshment. Let us all bring something to eat, drink, and be merry. And keep it simple to share and consume. . .

Use the comment tool for this post to name your contribution, so people can get a sense of what others are bringing. That way we won't all end up with too many brownies (is there such a thing?) and nothing to drink. . .

Readings, Listenings, Viewings, and Writing

for October 31 Class

Readings
1. Dana Gioia, "Disappearing Ink: Poetry at the End of Print Culture," Disappearing Ink: Poetry at the End of Print Culture. St. Paul, MN: Graywolf Press, 2004. [PDF]
2. Henry Sayre, "Performance," Critical Terms for Literary Study, 2nd edition. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1995. [PDF]
3. Donald E. Pease, "Author," Critical Terms for Literary Study, 2nd edition. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1995. [PDF]
4. Annabel Patterson, "Intention," Critical Terms for Literary Study, 2nd edition. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1995. [PDF]
5. Willie Perdomo, Where a Nickel Costs a Dime.

Listenings
Willie Perdomo, Where a Nickel Costs a Dime
Track 01
Track 02
Track 03
Track 04
Track 05
Track 06
Track 07
Track 08
Track 09
Track 10
Track 11
Track 12
Track 13
Track 14
Track 15
Track 16
Track 17
Track 18
Track 19
Track 20
Track 21
Track 22
Track 23
Track 24
Track 25
Track 26
Track 27
Track 28
Track 29
Track 30
Track 31
Track 32
Track 33

Viewings
1. View Lemon's performances at his Web site: http://www.lemonshood.com/
2. Explore the Def Poetry Jam videos available at YouTube, viewing at least 10 performed poems of your choice.

Writing
Write a brief analysis (about 200 words) of one of the poems assigned for class, be it by Willie Perdomo, Lemon, or a Def Poet of your choice. Focus on what elements of its performance contribute to your interpretation of the poem. Post it before class as a comment on this message.

English 6058: Beyond the Anthology: Poetry and Its Contexts

Essay #2: the Poetry Book

Description and Goals

The purpose of this essay is to explore a poem (or group of poems) in the context of its publication in a book by an author, in order to inform its analysis, interpretation, and/or teaching. The contexts discussed up to this point in the course are still relevant and should be researched, but the focus of your analysis should be on the publication. Issues of multiple publications, revisions, manuscripts, and versions should be explored if relevant. In order to put the theory and research into practice, you have two options to fulfill this assignment:

1. Write an essay in which you analyze and interpret a poem (or small group of poems), informed by the contexts specified above. Your essay's thesis should be an interpretation of the poem(s) supported by analysis of its textual elements as informed by research into the contexts relevant to the poem and it should employ a clear theoretical perspective.
2. Write an essay about how to teach a poem (or small group of poems) employing the contexts specified above, and informed by a clear theoretical perspective. You must specify what population you wish to teach the poem(s) to as well as having clear educational goals. Based on this, your thesis should state the contexts you consider would be most relevant to achieve your educational objective with that target audience. Prepare a small unit of lesson plans (about 3) as an example of how you would teach the poem(s).

Parameters

1. Your primary research should be the book of poems, its sections, organization, progression, artwork, and other contexts that can inform the analysis of the poem(s).
   
2. You may choose any book of poems you wish, as long as it is an original publication, rather than a "selected or collected poems" kind of collection.
3. Your essay should be informed by research and literary theory. You may find, however that little has been written on entire books of poems, aside from reviews, so you may have to explore the context of the book on your own. I am at your service, if you need help. The quality of the research will be a factor in the evaluation, so I encourage you to use peer-refereed journals in your research. As far as theory is concerned, you don't need to align yourself with a specific theoretical perspective-- you can mix and match, if you are so inclined-- but you should be up front as to what your theoretical inclinations are. I recommend you write a statement of your theoretical position before you write your essay to guide your research and thought about the poem(s), and incorporate a version of this into your theoretical discussion that should be part of the essay.
4. The essay should be approximately 1500-2000 words in length (6-8 pages), including lesson plans or supplementary materials. It should be formatted and documented in impeccable MLA Format (here's a good online resource, if you don't own a copy of the MLA Handbook: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/printable/557/).
5. Proposal: E-mail me a brief description of what you plan to do for this essay. Specify the option you chose, the poem(s) you chose (if you chose a small group of poems, explain the rationale for the selection and/or grouping), and provide a tentative thesis. This is due by Wednesday, October 31. It's okay to change your topic, poem(s) and/or thesis after that-- your proposal is not cast in stone-- but let me know of radical departures from the proposal.
   
6. The essay is due on Wednesday, November 14. Turn in a printed version at the beginning of class.

Evaluation

Your essay will be evaluated holistically, taking into consideration the following criteria:

• Fulfillment of the assignment
  
• Engagement with the poem(s)
• Use of relevant contexts
  
• Quality of the research
• Logical development of the argument
• Sentence structure, grammar, usage, and mechanics
  

Your essay will receive a letter grade, numerically interpretable on a 4-point scale. No revisions will be allowed, so please seek help before the essay is due, if needed.

Readings & Listenings for October 24

Assigned Materials:

• Listen to Paul de Vree's concrete sound poems, read his visual poems, and manifesto by following the links in the following page: http://www.ubu.com/sound/devree.html
• Explore UBUWEB::SOUND and see what you discover.
• Read about Dylan Thomas in the following Web site: http://www.undermilkwood.net/
• Read the following entries in the New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics: "Sound," "Rhythm," "Rhyme," and "Meter."
• Listen to Dylan Thomas' Caedmon Recordings, available at:
  

1. The Widescreen Macintosh Computer in the ETC. Use iTunes to burn a copy of the playlist titled "Dylan Thomas - October 24 Class." Be sure the computer is logged in as ETC Printing (top right corner of screen). You can save the whole thing in MP3 format or fit about 18 tracks in an audio CD-- you'd have to use the "preferences" in iTunes to change the type of CD you burn.
2. You can also click on each link and either listen to the tracks on your computer or download the files and listen to them wherever you like.

Disk 1:
Billy Collins Introduction
Fern Hill
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
In The White Giant's Thigh
Ballad Of The Long-Legged Bait
Ceremony After A Fire Raid
A Few Words Of A Kind
On The Marriage Of A Virgin
The Hunchback In The Park
Over Sir John's Hill
Laugharne
Especially When The October Wind
Disc 2:
Billy Collins Introduction
Lament
Poem On His Birthday
Should Lanterns Shine
There Was A Saviour
A Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London
If I Were Tickled By The Rub Of Love
And Death Shall Have No Dominion
A Winter's Tale
Author's Prologue
The Hand That Signed The Paper
Altarwise By Owl Light (1st Verse)
The Tombstone Told When She Died
If My Head Hurt A Hair's Foot
Poem In October (It Was My Thirtieth Year)
Love In The Asylum
In My Craft And Sullen Art
Dawn Raid
Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines
After The Funeral
In Country Sleep

Enjoy!

Readings for Wednesday, October 17

Explore the William Blake Archives (http://www.blakearchive.org/blake/), making sure you read the following sections:
1. "Illuminated Printing" (http://www.blakearchive.org/saxon/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=blake/documents/illum.xml&style=blake/shared/styles/wba.xsl)
2. "Biography" (http://www.blakearchive.org/saxon/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=blake/documents/biography.xml&style=blake/shared/styles/wba.xsl)
3. "Editorial Principles" (http://www.blakearchive.org/blake/public/about/principles/index.html)
4. "Songs of Innocence and Experience" (http://www.blakearchive.org/exist/blake/archive/work.xq?workid=songsie&java=yes)

Theoretical Readings (in Course Packet):
1. Erdman, "from 'Introduction' to 'The Illuminated Blake'"
2. Drucker, "The Material Word" and "The Art of the Written Image"
3. Shillingsburg, "Text as Matter, Concept, and Action"

From Manuscript to Print: Emily Dickinson

Instructions

• Explore the Dickinson Electronic Archives (www.emilydickinson.org), including the digital articles you haven't signed up for. If needed, the username is "dickinson" and the password "ink_on_disk".
• Prepare for group presentations on chosen digital articles, available at: http://www.emilydickinson.org/DAintro.html
• Presentations should be 10-15 minutes long-- no longer.
• The presentations should briefly summarize the article, provide an example of Emily Dickinson's work discussed in the article, highlight the key issues it raises, and provide the group's position on the issues raised by the article.
  
• Readings (available in course packet at SAC):
  
• Smith, Martha Nell. "Because The Plunge From the Front Overturned Us: The Dickinson Electronic Archives Project." Studies in the Literary Imagination 32.1 (Spring 1999): 133.
• Shillingsburg, Peter. "Textual Angst: Literary Theory and Editorial Practice." Resisting Texts. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1997.
  

"Axe Handles" by Gary Snyder

One afternoon the last week in April
Showing Kai how to throw a hatchet
One-half turn and it sticks in a stump.
He recalls the hatchet-head
Without a handle, in the shop
And go gets it, and wants it for his own.
A broken-off axe handle behind the door
Is long enough for a hatchet,
We cut it to length and take it
With the hatchet head
And working hatchet, to the wood block.
There I begin to shape the old handle
With the hatchet, and the phrase
First learned from Ezra Pound
Rings in my ears!
"When making an axe handle
the pattem is not far off."
And I say this to Kai
"Look: We'll shape the handle
By checking the handle
Of the axe we cut with-"
And he sees. And I hear it again:
It's in Lu Ji's Wen Fu, fourth century
A.D. "Essay on Literature"-in the
Preface: "In making the handle Of an axe
By cutting wood with an axe
The model is indeed near at hand.-
My teacher Shih-hsiang Chen
Translated that and taught it years ago
And I see: Pound was an axe,
Chen was an axe, I am an axe
And my son a handle, soon
To be shaping again, model
And tool, craft of culture,
How we go on.

Mountains and Rivers, Part II

Instructions and Study Questions for October 3 class on Mountains and Rivers Without End

1. Finish Reading MRWE.
2. Read the concluding chapter of Dr. Hunt's book, and read the introductory chapters, if you haven't already.
3. You have all been assigned to one of the three remaining sections of MRWE, which means you are expected to:
A. Read that entire section extra carefully, seeking out "trails," exploring connections among the poems, and seeking a sense of structure and rationale for the section, as well as how it fits within the overall book.
B. Read the corresponding section in Dr. Hunt's book, using the contexts he researched to inform and enhance your exploration described in part A.
C. Divide amongst the group the 10 poems in each section and formulate an interpretation of the poems assigned to you, both as an individual piece, and discussing its place in the section and in the overall book. What other poems in MRWE share themes, motifs, and/or structure with your poem?
4. On the day of the class, all of the 30 remaining poems should be "covered" by someone who will lead discussion of the poem, reading an excerpt you consider significant from the poem, and reporting on your findings. At the end of each section, the people assigned to it will weigh in on the structure and rationale for the section, and how the section fits within the overall book.

Avoid preparing elaborate presentations that require setup or elaborate technology, since we will have an aggressive amount of material to cover.

Mountains and Rivers, Part I

I just scanned the first part of Mountains and Rivers Without End and attached it to the Course Links. You can download it and read it, or print it out and read it.

I will take a printout to the SAC Tuesday morning.

Instructions for Next Class

As you may already know, Mountains and Rivers Without End did not arrive at Libreria Universal, but Genesis, Structure and Meaning... did. So here's the new plan of action.
1. Order a copy of Mountains and Rivers Without End, using your favorite online bookseller. I looked at www.amazon.com and they had copies for about $12 and used copies starting at about $3. I recommend you order a used copy and have it rushed over ASAP (as soon as possible) in order to get your copy on time to read it for next week. In the meantime, I will place a copy in Reserve at the Library so you can start reading (which will not be available until Wednesday).
2. I will photocopy and place the first part of Mountains and Rivers without End at the SAC (or SAE, however it's called) early on Monday morning. Go get your copy so you can be prepared for class on Wednesday.
3. Read up to page 113 of Genesis, Structure, and Meaning in Gary Snyder's Mountains and Rivers Without End. You can purchase it at Libreria Universal, if you haven't yet done so.
4. Analyze and formulate an interpretion at least one of the longer poems or two shorter poems in the section.
5. Consider the study questions posed for the class on Metropolitan Fantasies in relation to the reading for this week.

I apologize for the inconvenience that not having the book readily available represents. If you need help getting the book, let me know.

By the way, Dr. Anthony Hunt will be visiting our class both Wednesdays, so I expect you all to be very prepared for a spirited discussion.

Until then,

Leo